Perspective

STRONG CIVIL SOCIETY AND A WEAK STATE

Role of Civil Society in Mon State, Union of Burma

(By Banya Hongsar / Kaowao Newsgroup)

November 12, 2003; -- At the end of the raining season, local Buddhist communities and other religious groups celebrate various religious events throughout Mon State in southern Burma. Hundreds of thousands of young people gather at Kyeik-kha-mee, kyeik-ka-moh and other pagodas in their respected villages and towns. One cannot ignore local civil society in the Mon territory while the community is ruled by the military.

There are at least three categories to be examined in the field of civil society in Mon State: the Buddhist monks; language and cultural groups; and local youth groups.

There is no doubt that the role of senior Buddhist monks in Mon society has had a strong influence in the community. For example, Rev Palita, senior monk of Kamawet Dhatdaw Monastery, the author of over thirty books, Rev Ketu Matee, author of Mon, Burmese, Pali and English books, senior monk of Khareik-some monastery in Ye have led the community for social and cultural harmony for over fifty years.

The Mon Language and Cultural Committees both in Rangoon and Moulmein have maintained the teaching of Mon language during summer school holidays. The Government of Union of Burma disregards the role of Mon civil society, but community leaders, both monks and laymen, manage the tasks with self-help programs. The Rangoon government only grants cultural access to non-Burman ethnic nationalities for government sponsored public events such as Union Day and other State ceremonial events.

When the Burmese Socialist Government banned State Buddhist Examination in Mon language for the Pahtamapyan monk students in 1985-90, the Mon monk community was divided into two camps. Mahayin Nikaya accepted the proposal of the government while Sudhamma nikaya rejected this kind of discriminatory policy, which disallowed them to use their language. Soon after, the Mon monk community split into two camps. Mon people and their culture were threatened by the military but Mon students from Rangoon and Moulmein universities continued to play a positive role to counter the activities of the local authority, running free Mon language classes in the rural areas with the support of local monks. At the end of 90s, the successive Rangoon government allowed the Mon monks to continue the Patamapyan examination using their own language. Such achievement is a classic example of the strength of civil society in Monland.

Department of Sasana (Religious) Affairs based in Rangoon built the State Sasana University in the 90s and also opened the Monastic Administrative Training in Rangoon. After the Rangoon Government opened Universities and Training Schools to junior monks, the struggle of Mon civil society changed its look because the community generally admired the monks who received a Bachelor Degree from the Institutions. Currently, there are over thirty Mon monks who completed B.A. including M.A. from the State Sasana Universities. Local Mon monasteries have turned to an Institution to teach and learn modern studies of Mon language culture and literature.

The Mon monk community serves fellow Buddhist people while promoting the role of civil society in Mon State. Financially, the monk community raises funding through voluntary contribution and holds no special public events for funding. According to a student from Mon State, local children enjoy contributions from World Vision, Save the Children (UK) and other major non-Government services in their local community. A few NGO services have hit the heart of local poor people while they provide them goods in kindness and family supplies.

Mon Youth Monk's Union was formed in 80s in Rangoon. Over twenty Mon youth monks led a campaign to run free Mon Language Class during the summer in Mon territory. Typically, senior men opposed the campaign as they regarded it a campaign to launch political attacks against the ruling authority. Many senior men perceived that the Buddhist monks were obligated to only preach and chant local Buddhists on good will and funeral services. Now they support the teaching of Mon language programs in the community.

Language and Cultural groups are the second force in the role of civil society. Currently, the Mon youth community based in Rangoon and Moulmein published quarterly bulletins, magazines and other feature books both in Mon and Burmese languages despite being strictly censored by the Press Scrutiny Board. The Martyr's Stride Magazine (La-gam-aja-noiin Mon text) is distributed widely to the young audience. Borderland based youth publishes an independent newspaper, the Guiding Star (Northern Star) and Our Times Journals while they also report news in English via Internet. Independent Mon News Agency is established in 1999.

Although, the Mon literature lovers have very limited financial resources in the country, they use their own pocket money to publish books and magazines without making a huge profit. From 1974, after the creation of Mon State, to 2000, several Mon Language and Cultural Associations were established. The social force is the strongest ever in the modern Mon history.

There are insufficient libraries in a Mon village so local Mon youths have organized reading groups and opened a home library in Mudon Township but the library is banned pending approval from the local authority. Students are also banned to communicate with border based human rights organizations and other news groups for exchanging information. Furthermore, many graduate students from Moulmein University are not able to find jobs in the urban area and return to the rural village to work as volunteer teachers at local schools.

New generation and local youth groups have challenged the notion of the old vision in the Mon territory. After the 90s, the production of Mon music and other related entertainment venues have increased in the community. Despite local musicians having a lack of both financial and human resources they have managed to produce their own music series with community funding. A few work in Thailand for saving and return money to the country for music production. Popular Mon entertainer, Mon Chit Soe has gained a huge following and puts on top shows in the community. In the past thirty years, the Mon communities were not able to watch Mon language drama. However, after the 90s, a few young talents entertainers have joined hands for the promotion of Mon music and entertainment under leadership of Zahan Mon, Chairman of Mon Music Union based in Moulmein, the capital of Mon State.

The Mon Unity League formed a 'Committee for Public Relations and Civil Society Affairs" in 2001. The Committee has done two workshops in the border camps in promoting the role of young people in community development. The Committee has published a handbook in the Mon language for the workshops. The initiative was very much supported by everyone as a sign of progress in the community after two workshops were conducted in 2002.

"The importance of civil society is the capacity to act or advocate, autonomous of the state, for the common good," said David I. Steinberg, Director of Asian Studies at Georgetown University urged on in 1999. Unless the Mon community can freely publish their own newspaper, broadcast own radio stations, release public owned television and form a labor union in the territory; a question of democracy and human rights in Burma is still unanswered.

The Mon community remembers well from history that Burman troops cut the fingers of Rev Uttamarumbha (Kyeikjanoh Ajoh -in Mon text) for writing the Mon history after Burman king invaded the latest Mon Kingdom Pegu in late 1757. He had written over fifty books both in Mon and Pali text that current Buddhist Mon fellows use to learn about Mon history and Buddhism. The Mon community can take pride knowing of the powerful role of civil society where Mon authors can write in their own mother language without restrictions in Burma.