In lieu of International Women’s Day and this year’s theme Progress for all, I thought to highlight, in the wake of Myanmar’s military governments controversial new election laws, opposition leader Daw Aung San Auu Kyi.

Growing up with parents involved in Burmese politics, her father founded the modern Burmese army and negotiated Burma’s independence, her mother was an appointed Burmese ambassador. Suu Kyi was schooled in New York, London and India and worked, for a time, with the UN. She travelled, married and hand children.

In 1988 she returned to Burma to help her ailing mother. Shaken by the conditions of her home country and propelled by her strong spirit, Suu Kyi lead the pro democracy movement, in a role that would ultimatly shift the course of her life.  In 1989 after addressing over half a million people at a mass rally, Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest for her political activities.

In 1990, with Suu Kyi as the party leader, the National League for Democracy won the country's election by an overwhelming 82% of the votes. The military refusing to give up power placed her under house arrest again.

Over the years, Suu Kyi has gained a lot of international notoriety for her activism. She earned the Sakharov Prize  for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize the year after.

During the majority of her adult life Suu Kyi has been isolated from her husband, seeing him only 5 times in the 14 years before his death, has been under house arrest and steadily working to reform her country and free her people under military regime.

A referendum held in 2008, in accordance with a new constitution, schedules a 2010 election for the people of Myanmar. The election is part of a greater project to move the country towards democracy. Unfortunately, new military election laws which ban people who were married to foreigners from running for office and prohibiting anyone convicted of a crime from being a member of a political party or voting, will make Suu Kyi incapable of participating in the election process. Though many feel these new laws are unjust, over one hundred of the Democratic party's offices have been opened after a seven year closure by Myanmars current governement.

Wherther Suu Kyi will ever get the chance to lead her party is still undetermined.  With international support and the eyes of the world watching, I am still hopeful Myanmar will regain its independance.

For more information about Suu Kyi

New York Times coverage

Nobel Prize Peace Laureate  

Biography