Our Revolution’s Message is Simple: The Myanmar Junta Must Go

James Shwe

Our struggle for a free Myanmar is being deliberately complicated. The junta’s propaganda is expected, but a more insidious challenge is the discordant chorus of voices abroad that distorts our mission. From single-issue lobbyists demanding the spotlight for the for-profit advocates cloaked in ethnic, religious or humanitarian benevolence, a narrative of endless, intractable division is being spun. When other people with agendas join this chorus, they amplify a message that benefits only one group: the crony-funded lobbyists in Washington and other capitals who seek to protect the military status quo. It is no coincidence that all these complicated narratives lead to the same outcome – paralysis.

We must counter this with a simple, powerful truth. First, the will of our 55 million people is the only mandate that matters. The vast majority of us are united in our demand for a federal democracy or confederation, and we are finished with military rule.

Second, our primary request to the international community remains direct: help us remove the military junta. While others demand impossible preconditions and a perfect consensus – delay tactics that serve the junta and its backers – our ask is clear. Trust us, the people of Myanmar, to build our own future once the boot is off our necks.

The reality on the ground tells a different story than the one spun by special interests. The spirit of cooperation among our people is stronger now than at any point in the last seventy years. This unity is our greatest weapon, and it directly refutes the manufactured narrative of a hopelessly divided nation.