Suu Kyi’s Victory: Beginning of a New Era

At last, 66 years old, Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner had won an outright victory. It is also a landslide victory for her party, National League for Democracy with 40 seats of 45. The election was held on 01.04.2012, Sunday.

Confirmation of the landmark election’s result just a couple of hours after Ms Suu Kyi hailed her party’s success as a “victory of the people”. She assured to work with other parties. She wants to make a strong resolution to the long suffering Southeast Asian nation which is the poorest nation in Asia.

“The election makes a significant step in Burma’s democratic renovation and expecting that it is a sign that the government of Burma intends to persist along the path of greater candidness, transparency, and reform”, The White House explains.

More, both the U. S. and Europe have stated that holding a free and fair vote on 01.04.12 was a stipulation to ending the sanctions set in place since the last couple of decades to punish Myanmar’s military dominion for alleged human rights violations. The rules vary across Western nations, with the U.S. restricting trade and financial transactions. The election was an element of building upon a healthy and supportive rapport between the EU and Myanmar.

The U.S. industrial society is very much enthusiastic not to lose position to European and Asian rivals as the Myanmar market begins to open, greeted the election results as an imperative landmark and said Washington should persist and expand its diplomatic outreach to the country.

In parliamentary elections, Suu Kyi’s victory is the highest honour of her political career after the Nobel Peace Prize. In the year 1990, the last time, her party, NLD won a massive victory (won 59% of the national votes and 81% i.e. 392 seats of 485) when stratocracy annulled the results and remain in power 21 years more.

But, everything has changed radically since then: The stratocracy didn’t last long. And, Myanmar’s new influential leaders, many of whom are former generals that established with this poll. They are capable of taking concrete steps toward democratic rule, even if they had little to lose by doing so this time around.

Aung San Suu Kyi was born in June 19, 1945 in Rangoon (now Yangon). Kyi is considered as the third child and only daughter of Aung San who is called ‘The father of modern day Burma’. He was the founder of modern Burmese Army. He was assassinated by his rivals in 1947. San Suu grew up her mother, Khin Kyi along with couple of brothers.

In 1964, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in politics from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi. Suu never dropped out her education after graduation. In 1969, she also obtained B.A. degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from St. Hugh’s College, Oxford. After that, Suu left for New York and worked there at UN for three years. In 1985, she earned her Doctorate Degree at the School of Oriental and African studies, University of London. She married to Dr. Michael Aris in 1972. Sadly, Aris died on his 53rd birthday as he was suffering from prostate cancer. The day was on 27th March, 1999. She was also estranged from her children, who live in the UK.

She has become a Nobel Laureate for her Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She also received Rafto Prize in the year 1990. Ms. San Suu was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Award by the government of India in 1992. Besides three, she won many as well. The Canada Government made her an honorary citizen of that country and she was the one among five others ever to receive the same.

In sum, Ms. Kyi expressed that the victory would mark the “beginning of a new era” for the nation, Myanmar. She has come to represent the struggle against decades of military dictatorship, will take a seat in the lower house.