Maung Wantha - I want to say it so much.

What kind of people are in politics right now?

I have been thinking about it for a while now, and I have to think about whether my title will offend the politicians who are currently struggling. I have to think about whether I can say something serious. Suddenly, “What kind of people are in politics right now?” may seem a bit negative. However, since I have to analyze the topic, I will continue under that title. First of all, I am not against the parties, politicians, or individuals who will be contesting the election. I do not blame them for not participating in the election. “I understand that participating in the election, not participating in it, and not voting are within the scope of the individual’s right to decide. I am not saying this from the “whisky journalist” stance that Saya Pe Myint used in last week’s People’s Daily Journal. (If you haven’t read that article called “Editorial Headline,” look it up. It’s great.)

I'm immersed in my journalistic career and focused on writing, but the political germs are still lurking in my body, like a passionate person who wants to dance when he hears the bell.

I think about how I feel about myself in my current situation. Since I'm talking about the World Cup, I think I'm like a former footballer who sits in the stadium watching a football match. When I was playing football, I used to be a bit of a loser, but when I sit and watch other people play, I see the flaws.

Speaking of football, I noticed that a major journal recently referred to politicians as “newbies.” It wrote, “The fact that most of those who have been directly involved in Myanmar’s politics for the past two decades have decided not to contest elections has led to the election being a newbie political party.” (Voice Journal, July 5, 2010) Based on my analysis of this, I think that there will be more newbies in the regional and state parliaments, but there will be fewer newbies at the Union Parliament. I think those with at least two decades of political experience will have more power. As far as I know, the journals have been responsible for reporting on the party founders, and I see many of them as veterans.

The new generation probably means those who have little experience and have just entered the political arena. In reality, it is important to have fewer new generations and more veterans in the political arena. Because this is a time of nation-building, the people's candidates who will mainly carry out legislative duties need to be more qualified than ordinary people. You should not be afraid to become a people's representative with a simple, uncomplicated approach. Don't think that just because you can afford to pay 500,000 kyats to run for office, you are qualified to run. During the independence struggle, when the 1947 Federal Democratic Party (FDPR) candidates were selected for the Constituent Assembly elections, more than 60 of the 182 candidates were young people. General Aung San said, "Out of more than 2,000 people who wanted to be MPs for the upcoming Constituent Assembly elections, I selected 182. Of those 182, more than 60 are young comrades who are not yet able to lie. I believe that the rest of the people are really people who, if they have to surrender to the British one day, will be declared rebels."

"But in the bombing area, civilians who are not involved will be hit, and an opportunist will want to be involved. We can only screen and select so many people in such a short period of time. There are very few people among the people we choose who will betray us. If they do, we will take responsibility."

(Speech to the people of Mawlamyine, 17 March 1947)

“Nowadays, the members of parliament do not need to be literate. They only need people who are willing to fight. We will have to look at the future and manage with literate people. If we choose literate people now, there will be a lot of talk and we will not be able to reach the independence camp.” (21 March 1947, Monywa)

What he said reflected the type of politician needed at the time. When the independence struggle was at its peak, he carefully selected only good followers who would follow the leadership of the leaders of the PFLP without wavering. I can conclude from the general's speech that the qualities of the politicians who followed him in that era were not only the ability to lie, but also the courage to fight even if they were not literate (educated).

The fact that there are good leaders in such a situation is very important. If you have a leadership style that is hard to break,

No matter how hard the followers work, their goals will not be achieved.

Now, although I titled my article “What kind of people are in politics right now?” I don't intend to provide an answer. I'm just asking readers to do their own research.

People's Journal, July 15, 2010, Volume 1, No. 2.