Global Citizenship
Global Citizenship EXPO questions
i.) What was the last conflict your country was involved in? Does it currently have any negative relations with other nations?
The last conflict that my country involved in was the Saffron revolution. This started on August 15, 2007. The Burmese anti-government protests were a series of anti-government protests in Burma. The sudden cause of the protests was mainly due to the unannounced decision of the ruling junta to raise the price of diesel and petrol as much as 100% and the compressed natural gas for buses increased fivefold in less than one week. During the crack-down, there were rumors about disagreements in the Burmese military, but none of them were proven. Some news reports referred to the protests as the Saffron Revolution because it was led by monks. During the Saffron revolution, eight monks and civilians had, according to differing reports, been killed as the military regime finally resorted to violence to put down the soaring challenge to its rule. Burma has negative relations with United States UK, and the west because of the human rights violations against the Burmese citizens.
ii.) Outline the political situation in your country (this can be given in a timeline). How stable is your nation? What type of government is in charge of your country? What is its rank on the corruption index (look this up on transparency international)?
Burma is not stable at all because of the killing, violence, and the military junta. A lot of violence such as civil wars has become one of the controversial problems in Burma (Myanmar). Because the military junta is in charge of Burma, this country has gone through several incidents and deaths of innocent people. Thousands of people were executed because of this government, in a harsh way. They were either shot to death, or burned until nothing was left except for ash. This country is ruled by the military government or the army. Burma is ranked as 179th on the corruption index, which is know as the most corrupt counts on earth, equivalent to Somalia.
iii.) Be critical: is your country a hindrance to global peace? Does your nation engage in ‘questionable’ activities? What is your nation’s reputation globally? Is it a pariah state or a global citizen? (You may use information derived from your interviews to address this question and the state of the world atlas).
Burma is a problem for global peace because the government is run by the army, which is killing thousands of innocent people. This is one of the controversial problems in Burma. There are also violent actions and a variety of designated areas that people are not allowed to visit. If anyone breaks a rule in Burma, such as taking action or speaking out against the government (army), even homosexuality, then that person could be executed or be burned to death. In Burma, free speech can never be done. Otherwise, you will be punished for disobeying rules and be punished in a variety of way.
iv.) What is your nation’s human rights record? Check out how they are doing according to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and Transparency International.
According to Amnesty International Burma’s Human rights records is astonishingly poor. This is because the Burmese government only thinks about maintaining power but not thinking about the citizens. Dictators in Myanmar treat thousands of Burmese citizens as slaves. This is one of the main reasons for Burma to be in last place on the Corruption index. One of the problems currently in Burma is Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader, being under house arrested for 12 years because she was opposing the government. Citizens in Burma believe that thousands of people have been arrested during the crackdown and currently Amnesty International estimates that around 700 people remain in detention.
v.) Would you be proud to be a member of this country? Why or why not?
I would definitely not want to be a part of Burma because the government, ruled by the army, is killing innocent people with violent actions. There will be civil wars going in Burma, and I would have to survive through this extreme devastation. If I was living in this country, it would be really difficult to go out easily from my house and hang around with friends, since there are soldiers on the streets. These conflicts would make my life in Burma really tough because of the pressure.
vi.) If you were a policy advisor to the leader of your country, what would you recommend to him/her to make your nation a better GLOBAL CITIZEN?
I would recommend to the leader of Burma to think about the citizens more because of the way the military government is treating its nationals. This country would be so much better if the Military junta, allowed free elections. The military junta should allow for help from the United Nations (UN) and protect human rights. Free rights and free speech should be accessible at all times because the Burmese citizens can then express their wishes also, the government in Burma illegally cuts down trees, being a controversial problem
