"The Revolution is Happening!"
Nan Su Mon Aung is the NUG Representative in France, the culmination of a journey that led from rural Karen and Pa’O village life, to completing a master’s degree at Sorbonne University in Paris, to her present, high-profile position. In the following excerpt from a recent podcast discussion, she describes why this current moment is different from preceding movements.
“This time it is very different and this revolution is led by Generation Z. This young generation, they know what is up with the other countries; they know human rights!”
“I belong to two ethnicities. So, that means [discrimination] is even more, even at the level of the Karen or the Pa’O. When I was young, some friends, for example, if I would go with some Karen friends, they say I that I am mixed. We use one special word for this in Myanmar. This experience, this feeling I always get, even among our ethnic peoples, but if I go away overseas or go with an old friend, we say that you are also belonging to Karen or like that. When we arrived at university, then most people are Bamar. The thing is that it was mostly like before. This is one of the issues under the dictatorship. Because under the dictatorship they are very trained, or used, or manipulated by nationalists.
When we travel, like from Hpa-An to Rangoon, we have to cross different [checkpoints] and then they would check our passports, like if I am Buddhist or if I am Christian, or if I am ‘other.’ Only if I am Buddhist and [Bamar] will it go very quickly, but since I am Karen and Pa’O, too, they will ask a lot of questions. So, I can imagine if I were Christian or other minority, it would be more difficult for them; I can relate to that.
But now, we see after the coup, this time it’s totally different! Even though the education system in Myanmar is still, compared with other countries or international levels, still low, we had entered in 2015 to 2020 into a civilian government. So we have had the Internet; we had all those things! We can check everything. So they can learn things; they can decide on their own.
Generation Z, right now, when they meet a friend, they don't care where their friend comes from, what their nationality is, what their religion is! They don't care about that, just that we all are human. So they know that. And then, after the coup, since those younger generations, they couldn't accept that [prejudice]. So because of the coup, basically, the revolution is happening!
After the coup, it is not like before in Myanmar. Before the coup d'etat this or that was happening for the revolution, but this time it is very different and this revolution is led by especially the Generation Z. This young generation, they know what is up with the other countries; they know human rights! They know all those equalities. So now, NUG; that's why we call it ‘inclusive.’ Even in the NUG membership, there is not only Karen; there are also others, Kachin, Chin, every other ethnic minority they try to put them inside.
And also, we have seen that with the engagement; they are engaging. Like with the armed resistance organizations, now, not only KNU, now KIA, KNBF, every, everyone, and then Chin CDF, Chinland Defense Force. So, all of them! This is the first time of a government who can join hand-in-hand with all of the armed resistance groups, the ethnic armed resistance groups. So, that's it; we have seen this for the very first time. So that's why the NUG, they trying to be more and more inclusive. And now we are determined to go to a federal democracy. So that's why they are keeping a commitment to the people, to listen to the voice of the people.”