The Burmese military coup of February 1st abruptly interrupted the democratization process. The party of the lady, Aung San Suu Kyi, had just triumphed in the elections last November, with more than 80% of the vote. An electoral setback for the military! The leader Aung San Suu Kyi and hundreds of people were arrested. The demonstrators are demanding their release. We hear in the marches: "Give us back our elected government", "respect our vote". Prayer chains are organized. This is what the members of Fondacio are doing on the ground.
On the eastern border of India and Bangladesh, Myanmar, also called Burma, has 54 million inhabitants and more than 130 ethnic groups. The dominant ethnic majority (65% of the population) is Burmese Buddhist. Respect and consideration of ethnic minorities are major for the political stability of the country. This is why, and not without difficulties and clashes, the democratization process must improve the situation of ethnic minorities to eradicate the violence and poverty that affect these discriminated populations.
The country, close to dynamic markets (India, China and ASEAN), with abundant and still underexploited natural resources, is experiencing economic development - around 6% GDP growth between 2016 and 2019. Sustainably establishing democracy and the rule of law are important issues for a fair redistribution of wealth. These, growing, attract the covetousness of the most powerful who want to profit from them for themselves alone and by force.
Generation Z shows determination in protest against military coup
One of the country's assets is its relatively young population (27.6% are under 14). The 17-30 year-olds present themselves as Generation Z. Too young to have experienced previous military regimes and bloody repressions, they are not afraid to gather in their tens of thousands to defy the ban on demonstrating, drawing inspiration from protest movements recently underway in other countries. This Generation Z is determined because its future is at stake in today's struggle. These young people have courage: they say that if necessary, they would be ready to die for it. Fear is there: we remember the "charges" of young students against machine guns during the 1988 demonstrations that left 3,000 dead.
There is still another way to fight. As in the Buddhist tradition, the population works to chase away evil spirits and demons, by banging on pots and pans and anything that can make noise, at 8 o'clock every evening. Against weapons, it is a peaceful, spiritual and psychological fight that is engaged. To be in communion with Generation Z, the young people of Fondacio propose to put a candle on the corner of the windows at 8:30; in the face of darkness, the fight of this Generation Z is that of Light.
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