Time for debate or Reconciliation?

Dr. Abid Bahar Ph.D.

Time and again, in the past we asked Aye Chan, Aye Kyaw and Ashin Nayaka, the xenophob trio to have an open debate about why they had to call Rohingyas as "foreigners" or as "Influx Viruses." They remained silent for years. They knew their arguments were fundamentally flawed. Their arguments were based on racism. Their such works and activities were documented and they were found to be the promoters of ethnic violence in Arakan.

Based on the merit of their works, instead of bringing them for debate they should be brought to justice through the International Criminal Court. Their place shouldn't be a conference room in a civilized country but they should be placed in the the confinement of a jail. They helped promote ethnic unrest in Arakan. Aye Kyaw was instrumental in the adaptation of the 1982 Citizenship Law. If we have to have debate, it should be with Arakanese humanist leaders.

Racist people already made up their mind of what they had to say. They are close-minded people; debate is not going to open their mind. These three people caused a great deal of harm to the Rohingyas. Even when Rohingyas are now internationally recognized as Burmese people and documented in history books but the trio still call them as the "so-called Rohingyas." 

For the Rohingyas there is a difference between 1978 and 2011. Overtime they have emerged from a backward Burmese community with almost no modern leadership into now a well-organized people with the old and young generation of leaders working together; history books were being written, false claims by xenophobs were debated by the Rohingya scholars as well as by Western scholars in books and articles. 

In addition, Rohingyas are now being recognized as true citizens of Burma by Western governments and by international organizations. Despite that there should always be scope for debate but not the xenophos. When Aye Chan didn't respond to my several calls for a debate, I responded to his works in detail in my long article " Aye Chan's Enclave with influx viruses revisited" This is also a chapter in my book "Burma's missing Dots."

It is not the time for debate on some very old issues to open up the historic wounds again but it is time for reconciliation with the democratic minded Rakhines and Burmese leaders and the common Burmese people and to work with international bodies that are helping the Rohingyas globally. The former president Nurul Islam was doing that and the new president and his team of more energetic people should also continue the Rohingya tradition of reconciliation for peace.