The Curse of Independence

"This was published in 2001. It’s a very bold book that tells the truth, and cuts through a lot of the mythology that the Burmese like to tell themselves about the situation there, and that we like to tell ourselves. I guess what it’s about is that many of the flaws that led to the current situation go further back simply than 1962. Tucker looks at origins of the independence movement in the 1930s, which is a story of the rise of groups extraordinarily dissatisfied with British colonial rule. What was peculiar was that, because Burma had been annexed as part of British India, for most of its tenure as part of the Empire it wasn’t ruled from London, but from Calcutta, like a province of India. So some of the benefits of imperial rule never came Burma’s way. I think the importance of Tucker’s book is that he identifies, quite rightly, that there was a fundamentally undemocratic component to Burma’s anti-colonialist forces. They were taking lessons from the Soviet Union in 1917, and, because there was a very strong nationalist and xenophobic component to it all, very strong lessons from Mein Kampf . So you have this very strange mix of socialism, this fascist element, and increasing links between the nationalist movement and imperialistic, militaristic Japan. Then the war happens, Japan invades Burma, the British and Indians are forced to leave, and the real head of the young nationalists, Aung San Suu Kyi’s father Aung San, becomes head of the army under the Japanese government. Then the war turns against Japan, Aung San re-opens channels of communication to the British, the British and Americans drive the Japanese out of Burma, and then, after protracted negotiations, Burma becomes independent. Famously, though, months before independence, Aung San and about half the cabinet-in-waiting are assassinated, and so Burma gets off to this dreadful start. Independence in democratic form lasts about ten years until the military take over in 1962, and we have this terrible story that’s followed from that. What I find interesting about Tucker’s book is that roots of the regime that took over in 1962 lie in 1930s Burma, and in turn in the traditions of the Japanese imperial army and of fascism and socialism. It’s important to bear that in mind looking at the behaviour of the Burmese military today, because it’s a very unreformed apparatus with a tradition going back to these influences. Also, it’s not a very pleasant story, because Aung San is a hero in Burma, but a dispassionate examination of what he believed would reveal many of his ideas as very unsavoury now. Tucker’s book exposes those myths. It’s beautifully written, and Tucker himself is extraordinarily courageous: he spent much time with various ethnic insurgencies around the border and put himself at great risk. He examines things like the narcotics business in Burma, so it’s a book that really tries to pierce to the truth of the country today: outlining that the current regime is a criminal operation (explicitly so in the context of narcotics), but also he’s not afraid to pierce some of the more comforting traditions we might otherwise have. It’s also a wonderful book celebrating the bravery of British Special Forces, and of the various ethnic minorities who joined with them in resisting the Japanese occupation, and were sold out once Burma gained independence. Do you know, people often say to me isn’t Burma like China or Vietnam? And I say, if you must think of another country in comparison, think Zimbabwe."