Congratulations on the election despite the fact that you lost. Nobody thought or hoped that you would be in charge in the first place. No matter what, you will go down in the history as a president of the United States. The US we all looked up to.
Dear Mr. Trump,
I remember seeing a video clip in which you were asking where Myanmar located in the map. Somebody tried to tell you that Myanmar was near Burma. Actually, Myanmar is in fact Burma. And here’s a little narrative you probably wouldn’t care about.
Myanmar was just one of those countries from Southeast Asia that did not have a freedom of speech nor proper human rights and governed by the military junta for most part since our independence in 1948. There were glimpses of democracy here and there but we never quite had a good grip on a systematic governing system.
In 1990, our country had a first ever multi-party election in the thirty years. National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won a landslide. It was a victory that carried a lot of expectations for a country that had experienced great decline in every area such as economy, social security, entertainment and sports etc. However, the elected people who were supposed to enter the parliament were instead put into prison and locked up because the military government refused to transfer power. Lives were sacrificed, hopes shattered.
Meanwhile, we watched and read about democracy in the US; where a government was elected by general public, freedom of speech was more than a poster, freedom of press was practiced, censorship was not extreme and granted all the civic rights that we thought were too good to be true. The US, the country we would model our dreams on.
Dear Mr. Trump,
It took nearly 25 years until we had another free and fair election in Myanmar. The youth of our parents, uncles, and brothers were gone. Yet, the same political party that had won a landslide 30 years ago prevailed the same way. Fears grew about the same plot happening all over again. Thank god it didn’t. A civilian government was installed. Hopes rose again. Improvements did not come right away. But there were a lot of potentials and beliefs. We have waited long enough. We will be patient.
Last week we had another general election, 5 days after the presidential election in the US. It was not as close as yours but similarly, expectations were met. People were happy. Most of. Except the ones who lost. Refused to accept the defeat, and refused to grow up. Inspired to insult their way to the top, you are the icon in their eyes.
The country we once looked up for its democratic values is now led by someone the evils would model their plans on.
Dear Mr. Trump,
After 20 January, you will not be able to hold onto the seat given the systematic laws and regulations your country has in place. However, refusing to shift power is nothing to mess about. It’s a reality in many countries in the world.
Dear Mr. Trump,
For god’s sake, you are setting a bad example.
Mohinga Matters
