I got that title from Time magazine as I was reading through online news on this lazy Friday afternoon. Aung San Suu Kyi is the most celebrated “opposition” candidate in Burma. She is the symbol of freedom for most of the people and even U2 has written a song for her – Walk On.
I remember way back, and checking Wikipedia now, I must have been in grade school then when I first heard of her name and her agenda. It was in the late 80′s, we had a subscription to Time magazine and Asia Week as well as National Geographic, and I often read about her struggles and the struggles of her country.
The world, especially the Philippines was still fresh from the sparks of the EDSA revolution in ’86. The first one, the more legitimate “EDSA revolution”. The Philippines successfully flushed out of the country then President Ferdinand Marcos and abolished his dictatorship. The underlying effects of such a revolution would forever change the country – or maybe not. Like the Arab uprisings in current times, the Philippine revolution sparked unrest in other parts of Asia, most notably also the one in China, which had a different outcome as that in the Philippines as the demonstrators were crushed by the ruling government. If you were well aware of the current events or even just the “photos of the decade” you would not miss that of the “Unkown Hero”
The Philippines is already back to a democratic government, China is still a communist but it has embraced the modern times and “as far as i know” the citizens there have more freedom than way back in the 80s [i could be wrong, i have not researched about China and its government]. A few months ago I have read on the news that the current government of Burma freed hundreds of political prisoners in a bid to reunify the nation. This was a pretty sight, for the families of those who were jailed for decades, for the people of Burma, and maybe to everyone who supports freedom and equality for all mankind.
Who would have thought that a lady political prisoner from the 90s would rise again and still draws so much passion and support from her country men after more than 20 years. I am not against the current government of Burma, nor am I for it. I am not affiliated with the political party of Ms Aung, neither am I affiliated with any group. I am just amazed that a name which I have read when I was still in primary school would still be relevant when I am already miles away from home, and ages away from being a student who just reads magazines for its drawings. Someone so important to her countrymen and to the free world. A living person on that context.
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