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Brad Sherman’s ‘Solution’ To Rakhine’s Rohingya Crisis
At the time, Ye Htut, the President's Office spokesperson, made the Burmese objection clear: “We will never allow such damage to the sovereignty and territory of our country”.
Rohingya activists were at one with this. Nay San Lwin, a prominent Rohingya advocate, found the whole notion to be “horrible”. He said at the time, ‘We are Burmese. We are Myanmar’s Rohingya. We are part of Myanmar and we will always be part of Myanmar”.
Five years since, social media chatter reveals significant differences in Rohingya thinking between then and now.
Congressman Brad Sherman, a Democratic Party member of the House of Representatives, made his explosive observation in the form of a question to a State Department official.
Rohingya activists were at one with this. Nay San Lwin, a prominent Rohingya advocate, found the whole notion to be “horrible”. He said at the time, ‘We are Burmese. We are Myanmar’s Rohingya. We are part of Myanmar and we will always be part of Myanmar”.
Five years since, social media chatter reveals significant differences in Rohingya thinking between then and now.
Congressman Brad Sherman, a Democratic Party member of the House of Representatives, made his explosive observation in the form of a question to a State Department official.
After Ambassador Alice Wells found the necessary composure to answer, the Congressman persisted in giving the example of South Sudan, and recommended that:
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He continues, “The violence against us has risen massively. None of the perpetrators have been brought to justice.”
Lwin finds the idea of separation from Myanmar and being part of Bangladesh very difficult. At the same time, he insists he is being realistic. “Myanmar has no intention to fulfill what we want. Myanmar hasn’t given any assurance or guarantee that we will not be persecuted again.”
And it is only after this preamble that Nay San Lwin breaks with his statement of the past and says: “Enough is enough. If America is willing to intervene in the situation and assure our human dignity, we will be persuaded. All we want is human dignity regardless of who governs us.”
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This is a far cry from his previous solid belief in Myanmar. I questioned Lwin if this secession or separation idea does not feed into Burmese narratives, that this has always been the Rohingya plan? Lwin is indignant and insists that that is preposterous: “We have never wanted to secede. It is the Burmese government who have made us stateless in the land of our birth. They have stolen all our rights and have no intention of restoring them!”
He added: “However, currently the survivors think governments have failed them, the whole of the UN system has failed them, and they may see this as a way of extricating a solution.”
Not all Rohingya activists are enamoured withthe idea though. Razia Sultana, recent recipient of the US State Department's International Women of Courage Award, was disgusted by the suggestion. She said: “I believe it is a trick to grow tensions in the region.” Sultana was adamant and declared in a tweet that, “We (Rohingya) don't want to remove ourselves or join another country or threaten the sovereignty of Myanmar.”
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It is worth noting that secession has only recently become an unclean concept in the Myanmar constitution. The 2008 constitution emphatically declares that: “No part of the territory constituted in the Union, such as Regions, States, Union Territories and Self-Administered Areas, shall ever secede from the Union.”
(Shafiur Rahman is a documentary filmmaker, currently working on the Rohingya crisis. He can be reached at @shafiur. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
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What the Rohingya Themselves Feel About Brad Sherman’s Comments
Sherman's incendiary comments were made in the middle of June 2019, and have hitherto only surfaced in local Bangladeshi media and niche outlets. Nevertheless, his comments have generated strong responses from Rohingya themselves. I asked Nay San Lwin whether he still thinks the idea of separation is unpalatable. He said: “5 years ago, I responded according to the situation we were in. But this time I am not going to say the same things because the situation has changed.”
He continues, “The violence against us has risen massively. None of the perpetrators have been brought to justice.”
Lwin finds the idea of separation from Myanmar and being part of Bangladesh very difficult. At the same time, he insists he is being realistic. “Myanmar has no intention to fulfill what we want. Myanmar hasn’t given any assurance or guarantee that we will not be persecuted again.”
And it is only after this preamble that Nay San Lwin breaks with his statement of the past and says: “Enough is enough. If America is willing to intervene in the situation and assure our human dignity, we will be persuaded. All we want is human dignity regardless of who governs us.”
Also Read : Won't accept any more Rohingya refugees: Bangladesh tells UN
Rohingya Dissent On Whether Rakhine Should Be Placed Under Bangladesh Sovereignty
He added: “However, currently the survivors think governments have failed them, the whole of the UN system has failed them, and they may see this as a way of extricating a solution.”
Not all Rohingya activists are enamoured withthe idea though. Razia Sultana, recent recipient of the US State Department's International Women of Courage Award, was disgusted by the suggestion. She said: “I believe it is a trick to grow tensions in the region.” Sultana was adamant and declared in a tweet that, “We (Rohingya) don't want to remove ourselves or join another country or threaten the sovereignty of Myanmar.”
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The Idea Of Secession
The buzz being generated by Congressman Sherman's suggestion is a reflection of the violent subjugation that the Rohingya face in Northern Rakhine State. In that context, the very notion of a federal union binding the country together is simply – as many Rohingya are now arguing – untenable.
(Shafiur Rahman is a documentary filmmaker, currently working on the Rohingya crisis. He can be reached at @shafiur. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
(The Quint is now available on Telegram. For handpicked stories every day, subscribe to us on Telegram)
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