HOW does one view the ongoing massacre of the minority Muslim Rohingya in Rakhine state by the Myanmar government?
It is a form of religious extremism that leads to genocide as happened in Bosnia and in Palestine.
All religions preach a peaceful coexistence that practise the concept of sharing and caring, not only among adherents but also among other religions in the form of inter faith understanding and cooperation.
But what is happening in Myanmar is against the teachings of Gautama Buddha.
Like the Islamic State (IS) which hijacked Islam to perpetrate their atrocities, Buddhist monks and Buddhist soldiers have turned to militant killing, rape and massacre of innocent Rohingya.
It would seem that Buddhism, too, has been mutilated to serve a political and military agenda resulting in genocide of the oppressed Roghinyas.
These atrocities on this marginalised group, who have been denied their rights as citizens despite being there for hundreds of years, have been going on since the time when Myanmar was under a military government.
It had been ruthless in persecuting the Rohingyas without regard for international condemnation.
The junta has been emboldened by the lack of international intervention to protect the victims.
The most recent persecution was the 2012 massacre of Rohingya that displaced over 120,000 people who sought refuge in neighbouring countries.
The military junta was a totalitarian, almost absolute dictatorship that imposed sanctions and persecuted any democratic expressions. Aung San Suu Kyi, a celebrated fighter for democracy and for the oppressed, was detained under house arrest for many years for her fight to establish a democratic government in Myanmar.
When she was released, she led her democratic party to a landslide victory in the general election.
When she was installed as the de facto leader, the world expected a new era for Myanmar under her leadership.
As a consequence of her fight for democracy and the oppressed and, more importantly for peace, she be was awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.
Her election manifesto promised to address the plight of the poor, destitute and minorities.
The Rohingya looked forward to a peaceful existence to eke out a living in their homeland.
But it is not to be. Worse atrocities are now perpetrated on them by the so-called democratic government of Suu Kyi who had postured as a freedom fighter for the oppressed.
Her crusade for peace and democracy is internationally promoted.
But her promises now sound hypocritical.
She has not lived up to her purported reputation of championing democracy and her promise of relieving the poor and oppressed from their misery.
In fact, her government, by not censuring the violence against the Rohingya, had tacitly connived the persecution of this minority group who has been denied their birth and ancestral rights.
It is now apparent that her stance of championing democracy is nothing more than vested self-interest to gain international sympathy for her political quest.
Having achieved her objective, she has shown her true colours, similar to other power-crazy politicians who are willing to inflict sufferings on the minority in favour of the Buddhist majority to gain an entrenched political support.
It debases the Nobel Peace Prize status conferred on her.
The world community cannot stand and watch the persecution of the Rohingya.
Perhaps this massacre, which is happening far away from the comfort of American and European homes, is not having the kind of impact to warrant serious concerted effort by the American, British and European countries as when the IS beheaded American and British journalists.
Closer to home is the Asean community that has been in existence for umpteen years without any concrete measures to develop the group economies to ensure a respectable living standard as well as to ensure the security of its people.
Asean’s reaction has so far been timid as there is a non-interference agreement in the charter, prohibiting involvement in a member country’s internal affairs.
Nevertheless, Asean should relook at this non-interference clause.
If member countries could help each other during natural disasters such as floods, tsunami, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that cause immeasurable suffering and loss of lives, they should also help in man-made disasters to safeguard life and property.
The intervention protocol could be framed in the interest of saving humanity.
Asean can no longer ignore the humanitarian crisis within its fold. It must act decisively and not wait for action from the bureaucratic United Nations.
The longer the inaction, the more Roghinyas will be massacred and displaced and cast hordes of refugees at the shores of Asean countries.
Humanitarian crisis should take precedent over diplomatic protocol.
MOHAMED GHOUSE
NASURUDDIN, Penang