SM Goh: Aung San Suu Kyi is "part of the problem"

Very disappointing words from our former Prime Minister and a very senior politician, Mr Goh Chok Tong.

Separately, Mr Goh also touched on the situation in Myanmar. He said while pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is seen by the West as the solution, she is also "part of the problem" because she believes she is the government.

There are several reasons why I find Mr Goh's remarks disappointing. First, it implies that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's election win in 1990, which was annulled and never recognised by the military rulers, is invalid. It implicitly lends support to military rule in Myanmar, overriding the will of the people. And by not condemning the continued illegal imprisonment of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, but instead pointing to her as part of the problem, it shows that we don't consider Myanmar's human rights violations as deplorable.

If this is because of the ASEAN principle of "non-interference", then we are just practising that principle selectively. However, Mr Goh also said:

Mr Goh noted that Ms Suu Kyi's political party needs to seek a fresh mandate in the 2010 general election.

This implies that he is confident that the military will cede control if they lose 2010 election in Myanmar. We can only hope that it will happen, but I for one am not optimistic.