A Role Model for Politicians

Asked how Myanmar would like to be in the year 2010 by a news journal, I replied that there were good prospects of national reconciliation efforts and the politicians would become popular. This interview was carried in December 31st Issue of Yangon Time news journal.
Some close friends asked me about this interview, saying “Why did you say so? What are your views? We hope you were just guessing”. I retorted saying, “Are you really interested in politics? If you are, you need to daily watch the political developments. I mean daily –– not to miss even a single day”. Why should I explain to them when they asked me just because they met me en route to their work, just because they wanted to show their interest when meeting a politician-cum-journalist? If they are really interested, they should study themselves. If one looks, one sees. If one overlooks, one does not see, it is said. In fact, Myanmar politics is not that complicated, not requiring exertion of great effort. We just need to retrospect annual events. But there is one thing – i.e. you need to have a good memory. If you are superficial in your interest, things will not come to your mind.
Far form becoming a politician, one needs to study a lot if one is interested in politics. If one does not follow closely the political events and developments, one will become only a follower.
I have a political friend who is of my uncle’s age. He died at the age of 89. He is known as Meeyahtar U Kyaw Sein Gyi. He is a leader of Railway Union in the period of parliamentary democracy. He lives in 34th street while I live in 33rd street in Kyauktada Township. This nearness made us close to each other. He used to circumambulate Maha Bandoola Park early in the morning. Upon return from a stroll, he would drop in at my place. Whenever I had a chance to meet him, I asked him what was not clear to me regarding politics. True, all political articles usually mention references. However, there were times when I could not find what I wanted to know. In those cases, I could rely on uncle U Kyaw Sein. He was almost always quick in his responses. He knew almost everything regarding Myanmar politics in Parliamentary Democracy Period.
He had formed no attachment whatsoever to any political party. He was just a good leader of a trade union. He was representative of the Railway workers. That’s why he came to be known as Meeyahta (Railway) Kyaw Sein Gyi. As known to all, the Railways was a big strength. U Kyaw Sein was not a gazetted officer. He was sort of supervisor or foreman. Trade Unions have no practice of electing an officer as their leaders. The annual conferences usually elected leaders from among non-commissioned officers. The trade unions made collective bargaining to demand salary rise, promotion of workers’ welfare, better working conditions, higher compensations in cases of causalities and damages, basic health care, fair working hours, fair rates for overtime working, better social security benefits.
U Kyaw Sein has been to Europe to attend international labour conferences representing Myanmar workers. Despite absence of tertiary education, he was fluent enough to communicate with speakers of English Language. He was known to be fluent enough to abuse the English officers while he was with the Railways. I had inserted in my journal called Taw Win in 1994-95 a special feature about the Railways of those days. This feature was written by late columnist Tin Thein Maung. The writer’s interview with U Kyaw Sein had produced a miraculous feature as strange as 2001 nights’ fables.
He spent his last years in a small apartment in 34th street. He rented his living room to a sale centre that sold good second hand TV sets. He is heard to live on the income earned from renting. My better half holds a high regard for Uncle Kyaw Sein who is of her father’s age, and pays respect to him before and after Buddhist Lent. Whenever she visits there she takes children along. When I was doing politics, uncle very often came to speak words of admonition and advice. Whenever he talked, I always had something worth noting. As he had been a leader of labour union, he was rather outspoken and straight forward.
When I compared him to a Brazilian president and a Poland president, he abused me. The Brazilian president I referred to rose to the position of president through labor union. He passed only fourth standard. However, he had won the acclaim for his liberation of Brazil from poverty. So was the Polish leader. He use to be a president through his activities in the trade union like the Brazilian president. He managed to turn his country into a democratic state.
“Even if these labor union leaders could have risen to the position of president, uncle should have been a minister at least. Maybe, you didn’t know how to do politics”, said the writer. At that he abused me saying, “Do you think I was involved in politics just because I wanted the political positions? Had I been an opportunist, how should you see me living in such a ramshackled flat. I could have owned a house near Lake Kandawgyi even if I could not own a mansion beside Lake Inya like Ko Kyaw Nyein. I had never exploited my workers to my own advantage. Don’t forget I can always have my history checked. I’m ready for undergoing investigation whatsoever”. He emphasized the fact that his cleanliness could be tested on the touchstone.
When I wrote in Popular News an article in which I extolled the self-sacrificing spirit of Thakhin Wa Tin, he came to join me in heaping praise on uncle Wa Tin, saying he held high regard for him.
U Kyaw Sein rarely missed news and views in journals and magazines, and provided his own appraisals and analyses. I had listened a lot to his political views and outlooks. I would like to urge all those wishing to do politics to study the political literature like uncle and have him as a role model.

Written by – Maung Wun Tha

Translated by K.M.A