Writing by Mhuu
Thit
Translated by Sithu Aung
Recent news about two Reuter
Journalists, Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo sentenced for seven years
imprisonment has been appearing on several media pages. Media community has assumed
it as a clear evidence of the deterioration of press freedom in Myanmar, a
country known to be in democratic transition. Not just a polemical clash
between the pillars of the government, the army and judicial system, and the fourth
pillar of press media, the case as a whole also represented a warning sign in
terms of the notions of Myanmar society towards journalism, as well as
standards and values of human rights and democracy. This article will focus on
the reaction of Myanmar society on social networks in regard to the
journalists’ incident.
For many years, Myanmar society had been
living in an enclosed world of propaganda created by the military dictatorship,
which influences built up through frequently used words like nationalism,
sovereignty, national security, etc. in movies, literatures and all other kinds
of media. At its most successful level, the propaganda was able to seed a sense
of fear inside people. Like the children who are often frightened by the made-up
concept of “Day-Waw-Gyee” monster, the society at large has been scared by horrific
threats related to nationalism, sovereignty, national security, and these are
still in effect.
Recent public feedbacks on the Arakan issues
and seven-year jailing of Reuter duos reflect how such propagandas prejudiced
thoughts and behaviors of Myanmar society.
Myanmar people are often described kind,
sympathetic, and compassionate, but a completely opposite version of this view
is easily noticeable on the Facebook social network. The way people commenting
on the sentenced journalists are tensed with hatred, close-mindedness, and
unkindness. Most feedbacks mentioned that these journalists were traitors and
news smugglers, their writings undermined national pride, and they deserved
more than seven years imprisonment. Even before, the media had been accused of
bias. Articles of Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo in Reuter had been criticized
for being unbalanced, lacking their focus on the slaughter of Arakanese and
Hindus by ARSA. However, these clearly turned out to be untrue views spread for
propaganda purposes. In fact, Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo were just being
responsible journalists.
Actually, the purpose of journalism is to
reveal the truth, not to cover it up. Pledging its allegiance to nothing else
but truth, the press is never meant to conceal actual incidents in a particular
society and its components in favor of winning more audiences. In conceiving a
country’s dignity and international views on it, an essential question is which
of these actions can be considered decent: committing and hiding cruel crimes,
or a factual presentation of human rights violations. All in all, understanding
and accepting the absolute reality is a critical approach to all issues.
What disgraces a country is the attempt of
replacing the actual news with faked ones instead of revealing and accepting
the truth. Peoples' accusations on the
two journalists, who did nothing wrong but telling the truth, of treason against
the nation highlights the wrong idea and assumptions of the public. It is not
so uncommon for authoritarian agencies to hide or deform the facts, and punish those
who try to reveal the truth, but when a society at large believes the truth
should not be revealed, it seems totally dangerous. The present situations are far worse, as
those who revealed the truth are being addressed enemies and national traitors.
By and large, it is the clear consequence of
prolonged propagandas occupied in thoughts and behaviors of Myanmar society as
a whole.
People who have been misguided through words
like nationalism, national security, and sovereignty have sense of danger
towards the press and human rights. It is sad to see responsible people in this
case, including state leaders, public influencers, etc., instead of attempting
to turn the society’s thoughts and behaviors to the ethical side and to make
people realize real values of human rights, tend to continue using most liked
words by the public for applauses and political supports.
How the world sees Myanmar today depends a
lot on thoughts and behaviors of Myanmar society. None other than the society’s
reactions on incidents better portray whether it values human rights standards
and favor the right to the wrong, or choosing the obviously unjust views over
human rights values, standards, and the entire truth. How the future global
history presents today incidents will be determined by the actions of the
Myanmar society itself. The public should take extra cautions of their presentations
and manifestations (including trivial ones like Facebook comments) as these will
become historical records forming the future views on Myanmar society today.
The moral duty of a particular society is to
show the world how its members are trying hard to keep their values and
standards undamaged through oppressing troubles and challenges.
And that responsibility not in the least includes
blurring or covering the wrongs tainted by the misbehaviors of authorities. It
is a solemn mission of the public today, which determines what the future
global history will be depicting about the dignity of present Myanmar society.
Mhuu Thit is a
political analyst and a journalist in Myanmar and has been working in the media
field for nine years. He is currently working as an editor at the Standard Time
Digital Media, Myanmar. He has written over 100 of political and human rights
articles and features in printed Journals and Magazines such as the Street View
Journal, Human Rights Journal, D’ wave Journal in Myanmar. He has already
published three books in Myanmar language; one for political articles, one for
satire and one for political fiction.
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