Shans hail Gusmao

Shans hail Gusmao's victory

The Shan States, as the Shan State is known in a shadow UN organization, has sent a letter of felicitations to Xanana Gusmao of the newly independent East Timor, also a fellow member, on his recent election as president, according to a copy of the message S.H.A.N. received yesterday. 

Sai Wansai, General Secretary of the Shan Democratic Union, in his capacity as Ambassador of the Shan States to the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, which is based in The Hague, Netherlands, praised Gusmao for his "steadfast and correct leadership, which made East Timor's Independence possible." 

The people of Shan States, he continued, "look at your people's achievement of self determination in awe and nostalgic inspiration. This in turn has given us hope and energy in our ongoing struggle of wanting to be the master of our own faith." 

Referring to Estonia, one of the former members of the UNPO that had won independence but still championing the organization and its cause, he said: "(A)ll of us do hope that you will follow the footstep of Estonia as a principal supporting member....". 

The Shan States, Karenni , Mon and Chin are the UNPO's members from Burma. 

The UNPO was founded in 1991 by the Dalai Lama of Tibet and the Baltic countries, then still under Soviet occupation. According to its quarterly publication, UNPO News, it is "a non-aligned organization dedicated to non-violent programs and solutions. It offers a forum for those unrepresented nations and people without a voice in international fora, such as the United Nations. It also serves as a community of support for those who have long felt alone in their struggles." 

Legal Issues on Burma, a publication of the Burma Lawyers Council, had commented in its December 2001 issue, "attempts to create sovereign states will have to be taken seriously. In the name of self determination, the sufferings of the people must not be prolonged or intensified. Hard line policies do not bring good results in the long run. The path of reconciliation is the only way to sustainable development." 

To which Sai Wansai replied, "It seems the commentator do not really understand the meaning of "self-determination". It should be understood that apart from secession, total independence or a nation be given statehood, self-determination also encompasses differing degrees of self-determination, including confederations, federations, consociational democracies, and unitary states with subnational autonomy - that is, regional parliaments, local governments and so on. In short, self-determination can have all forms of political outcomes, depending on the groups' or peoples' values, needs and priority-settings. For example, the Shan and the Karenni might say total independence is their desired political outcomes and the UNPO cannot and will not interfere in their goal-setting. Likewise, the desire for the Chin and Mon's aspiration to achieve genuine federation will also be respected by the UNPO. The UNPO is there to serve and help the members in realizing their goals and not to dictate them. This is not to say that the Shan and Karenni will not settle for anything less than total independence. We should all realize that the needs and values of the people could change and adapt to the situation suitable and beneficial to them. After all, self-determination is an ongoing process and may be stressed and bent according to the wish of the people concerned." 

Xanana Gusmao won in a landslide victory (86.67% of total votes) in the election held nationwide on 14 April.