A tale of three democratic brothers (Part 2)
Once upon a time there were three "democracies", who were siblings. The eldest one, "West", was the strongest, or so it seemed. The youngest, "Mar", had just woken from a prolonged "dictatorship" coma. The one in the middle, "Siam", was rebellious, resent
In different ways, West and Siam took care of youngest brother Mar. West had strictly followed his medical textbook and made sure that Mar got as little food as possible in order to “get well”. Siam, living closer to Mar, often sneaked him food, much to West’s chagrin. For whatever reasons, Mar was getting better. A stamina test three days ago produced positive results. So far so good, so to speak.
Siam visited Mar to congratulate him. The latter looked hopeful and vigorous, but the former appeared tired and uncertain about everything.
“Hey, buddy,” Siam said. “How are you?”
Mar couldn’t hide his excitement. “I’m great. West said I still have a long way to go, but at least he reckons I’m going in the right direction. He didn’t sound happy about you, though.”
Siam sighed. “West is bitter about everything unless it goes exactly the way he likes it. I’m doing things my way but he doesn’t seem to understand me. He’s actually threatening to throw me out of our ‘Democracy’ clan.
“He said you and I were going in opposite directions. According to him, everything you’re doing violates the family’s core principles.”
“What are those principles anyway?” Siam shrugged. “West has a short memory. Not so long ago he was bullying the entire neighborhood. He invaded homes, wielded his gun and told everyone to listen to him. Countless died because of him, for crying out loud! That he’s no longer doing that doesn’t mean he is now perfect and anyone who isn’t like him is bad.”
“Tell me about it. I know what it’s like to have your home occupied like that,” Mar concurred.
Now that Siam had got started, he was hard to stop.
“I think West gave birth to a neighbourhood wisdom that it was better to be ruled by bad locals than governed by exploitative foreigners,” he quipped. “He did cause a lot of suffering, blood and tears. I don’t like the way he’s now preaching about how we should respect fellow human beings after all that. Ask Pino. Ask Indie. Ask Mala. West tried to control them all, and many died as a result. If he was genuinely good and deserved to be listened to, why did they do everything they could to get him out?”
“You are talking ancient history. West turned over a new leaf a long time ago. He deserves our respect for that, and more so given the fact he’s our big brother,” Mar said.
“It’s funny you are advising patience, forgiveness and understanding towards West. Did he ever try to understand you? Is he giving any hint he understands me?”
Siam had given up trying to keep his voice down. Yet nothing he said could hamper Mar’s new-found high spirits. The youngest sibling looked buoyed over what he had just achieved, and genuinely thankful to West. “He simply didn’t want you to end up like me over the past three decades. Trust me, a part of you is crying out for his help.”
“Another part of me needs his understanding.”
“What is West supposed to do then?”
“He should help by understanding, not by prejudice or bias,” Siam snapped. “The world is too complex for even him to know everything. Stop defending him. He almost starved you to death, remember?”
“Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between help and punishment. Moreover, he’s warming up to me now at least,” Mar protested mildly. “I’m feeling like a new member of the family. I’m feeling loved again.”
“For a long time, he refused to call you what you wanted to be called. He decided what your name should be. How about that? You changed your name and West said ‘No, no, no, that isn’t his name’. How ridiculous was that? You are his darling now, but just wait and see what happens if, after Sunday, things don’t turn out the way West wants.”
“The jury’s still out. I’m taking it one step at a time,” Mar answered, with a wry smile that was difficult to read.
For the umpteenth time, Siam shrugged. “That’s good for you. Our common problem, though, is whether our big brother understands the concept of one step at a time.”
Writer’s note: If you’re interested in the Part 1 of “Three democratic brothers”, click on the link below. The column was written shortly after a very high-profile American visit to Myanmar – or Burma, as the West called it then. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/A-tale-of-three-democratic-brothers-part-1-30194695.html
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