By Professor Dr.Abid Bahar>>>

Most of the events of genocides worldwide are committed in totalitarian countries from the fear in the majority population that they would lose their collective ownership over land. The case in point is present Burma, in former Yogoslavia, Nazi Germany, and Rwanda, These countries have similar history in common. These countries give predominance of collective rights over individual rights.

Whereas in democratic countries individual rights are guranteed through state machineries like police, army, and the court, However, in totalitarian countries the same institutions protect the majority by denying the minority's population's individual rights, to own property, right to education, right to movement etc. In Bangladesh Rakhines who migrated during the British period enjoy these individual rights.

Research shows the early signs of genocide begins when some of the leaders of the majority population starts fear mongering campaign about the minority,of the imaginary threat which are seen by its more radical section of the population as being real. The common populace as a collectivity turns into somewhat like mob and takes law into their hands. This is exactly what is happenning in Arakan of Burma at the instigation of its xenophobes..

Burma is so backward in per capita income and in the violation of human rights issues compared to Bangladesh that no Bangladeshi would be willingly opt for settling in Arakan or Burma. Due to the lack of democratic institutions, in Burma leaders of the hollighans,like Aye Chan, Aye Kyaw and others are sucessful in hate-mongers not just against a perceived Bangladeshi migrant threat but of a perceived threat from its own Burmese Rohingya citizens. They were so sucessful that they identified the Rohingyas as even "influx Viruses."

The point is if some people are identified as viruses, like viruses they are perceived as a threat thus requiresd to be extinguished. Not realizing that contrary to the xenophob's perceived threat Bangladesh continued to receive population from Arakan in its Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts areas. Historically speaking, most of the tribes of Chittagong Hill Tracts were originally from Arakan and Burma so are the Rohingyas of Chittagong from Teknaf all the way upto Sanka River of Chittagong due to anarchy in Arakan migrated to Chittagong.. Due to its respect for individual rights all these people originally from Arakan are now considered as Bangladeshis. This is even true about the Rakhines of Bangladesh in Cox's Bazar and in Barisal.

Why then despite the reverse flow of population from Burma to Bangladesh there has been a strong perceived threat of Muslims in Arakan?It is because Arakan and Burma failed to develop democratic institutions and it shows the signs of genocide against its own population.It failed to develop democratic institutions due to the powerful presence of the so-called intellectals who pretends to be democrats but are truly anti democract, and also anti Rohingya.
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For more details on this issue and more, please read My Book Abid Bahar's Burma's Missing Dots, 2010.

(The author, Dr. Abid Bahar wrote his M. A. thesis, “Dynamics of Ethnic Relations in Burmese Society: A case Study of Inter Ethnic Relations between the Burmese and the Rohingyas in 1981 from Canada and Currently teaching at Dawson College, Montreal,Canada).

Dr.Abid Bahar>>>

Time and again, in the past we asked Aye Chan, Aye Kyaw and Ashin Nayaka, the xenophob trio to have an open debate about why they had to call Rohingyas as "foreigners" or as "Influx Viruses." They remained silent for years. They knew their arguments were fundamentally flawed. Their arguments were based on racism. Their such works and activities were documented and they were found to be the promoters of ethnic violence in Arakan.

Based on the merit of their works, instead of bringing them for debate they should be brought to justice through the International Criminal Court. Their place shouldn't be a conference room in a civilized country but they should be placed in the the confinement of a jail. They helped promote ethnic unrest in Arakan. Aye Kyaw was instrumental in the adaptation of the 1982 Citizenship Law. If we have to have debate, it should be with Arakanese humanist leaders.

Racist people already made up their mind of what they had to say. They are close-minded people; debate is not going to open their mind. These three people caused a great deal of harm to the Rohingyas. Even when Rohingyas are now internationally recognized as Burmese people and documented in history books but the trio still call them as the "so-called Rohingyas." 

For the Rohingyas there is a difference between 1978 and 2011. Overtime they have emerged from a backward Burmese community with almost no modern leadership into now a well-organized people with the old and young generation of leaders working together; history books were being written, false claims by xenophobs were debated by the Rohingya scholars as well as by Western scholars in books and articles. 

In addition, Rohingyas are now being recognized as true citizens of Burma by Western governments and by international organizations. Despite that there should always be scope for debate but not the xenophos. When Aye Chan didn't respond to my several calls for a debate, I responded to his works in detail in my long article " Aye Chan's Enclave with influx viruses revisited" This is also a chapter in my book "Burma's missing Dots."

It is not the time for debate on some very old issues to open up the historic wounds again but it is time for reconciliation with the democratic minded Rakhines and Burmese leaders and the common Burmese people and to work with international bodies that are helping the Rohingyas globally. The former president Nurul Islam was doing that and the new president and his team of more energetic people should also continue the Rohingya tradition of reconciliation for peace.


Credit : Kaladan Press