Guwahati: Special envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Myanmar Julie Bishop seemingly has little regard to human rights, observes Progressive Voice, an umbrella organisation of pro-democracy Burmese outfits. In its weekly statement, the organisation argued that Julie Bishop made her first address to a UN General Assembly committee since her appointment in April and ‘her remarks blatantly ignored the Myanmar people’s ongoing efforts and unprecedented sacrifices to end military tyranny’.
In her remarks on 29 October to the UNGA’s third committee (social, humanitarian and cultural), Julie Bishop discussed her impartial actions to address the crisis in Myanmar and suggested the goal of a home-grown inclusive and sustainable peace. She also admitted that she met military junta chief Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw—a move that raises concern about whether the special envoy’s approach will lend false legitimacy to the junta for its sham election plan.
“And perhaps most dangerous and disappointing, she said that Myanmar actors must move beyond the current zero-sum mentality, without a single utterance regarding the junta’s all-out war of terror against the people,” said the statement, adding that by accusing the Myanmar people of having a zero-sum mentality, she announced her zero regard for human rights or justice and accountability in Myanmar.
Made with outright disregard for Myanmar’s peoples—who are enduring the junta’s unspeakable brutality—her obtuse accusation is nothing but a pressure tactic to push revolutionary actors into quick-fix negotiations with the junta. A history lesson in order-rushing into dialogue will certainly backfire—as it did during the so-called 2011 peace process —preventing genuine inclusion, sowing mistrust among revolutionary groups through the military’s divide & rule strategy, and further entrapping Myanmar in the cycle of violence and military tyranny.
“This isn’t the first time Julie Bishop has showboated her disregard for the human rights of Myanmar’s peoples. In 2017, during her stint as Australia’s foreign minister, Canberra bribed Rohingya asylum seekers with thousands of dollars to return to Myanmar from Australian detention centers,” said Khin Ohmar of Progressive Voice, while talking to this correspondent from Myanmar.
In 2018, Julie Bishop maintained that Australia would continue its training program for the Myanmar military—the perpetrators of genocide against the Rohingya just months before. It is truly horrifying that someone who used their public office to put Rohingya lives at risk, rather than protect them, be chosen as the UN special envoy—a role whose mandate centers the protection of the Rohingya.
It’s undebatable that the UN’s reliance on special envoys on Myanmar has produced absolutely no positive change for the people of Myanmar. Instead, this reliance only compounds the UN’s systemic failure in Myanmar and defers any concrete action to save lives. Over her 20-month tenure, the previous envoy Noeleen Heyzer ignored important warnings and recommendations put forth by Myanmar civil society organizations, and suggested a power-sharing agreement with the terrorist junta. Prior to her, Christine Schraner Burgener announced her own failure as special envoy in September 2021, calling out the military junta’s clear lack of will for a peaceful solution.
The only way forward for Myanmar is through inclusive federal democracy, free from military tyranny for good. Indeed, the people of Myanmar deserve much better from the international community than the dangerously misguided impartiality of the special envoy, added the statement, concluding that it’s high time for the UNSG to affirm his commitment to the human rights of Myanmarese people and address the Myanmar crisis directly and immediately. He must urgently take the lead to end the junta’s terror campaign and hold the perpetrators accountable under international law.
