Suu Kyi's fairytale still needs a happy ending

The Nobel Peace Prize has saved Aung San Suu Kyi all these years, especially during her 15 years of house arrest. The prize, she told the audience at City Hall in Oslo on Saturday, helped to break her sense of isolation and encouraged her to fight for democracy. After 21 years, she was able to deliver a lecture to complete the ceremony and receive the world’s greatest prize. But the question is can the prize also save Myanmar? It might depend on how she carries herself in the international community, especially in her part of the world.

A fair proportion of the estimated 600 people in the audience were from various ethnic groups in Myanmar, exiles who live in Norway. They were Kachin, Karen and Chin, judging from their colourful dress. It was a wonderful sight to see a senior Karen woman give her a scarf when Suu Kyi walked through the hall after delivering her lecture. She must also win support from other minorities inside the country that she represents and may eventually lead.

Truth be told, Suu Kyi still has to connect with the non-Western world, especially Asia and Asean. When she visited Thailand recently, she did well in expressing strong support for the migrant workers in the central region. But her visit to Mae La camp in Mae Sot to meet displaced people was badly planned and hindered by Thai authorities. Nonetheless, the visit to Thailand, after 24 years unable to travel outside her country, demonstrated her intelligence and understanding of issues involving her country. Her comments on Thailand, for instance, including those in the Nobel lecture, shone a light on both sides – appreciation for what Thailand has done for her people, but also a recognition that Thailand can do more to make the lives of both refugees and migrant workers better and less exploited.

Thailand aside, she has not shown any intention to visit any Asean country in the near future. But her political struggle and popularity should resonate well in the region, where dictatorship still is a preferred political system. Recent changes in Myanmar has had ripple effects throughout the region. If Suu Kyi is connected to the region, she will certainly become a political icon that can influence the 600 million Asean citizens.

The Western world has given her the status of a head of state whenever receptions or dinners have been given. In Oslo, she sat next to King Bernard and Queen Patrice. She was given the highest diplomatic treatment for her presence during her visit in Norway even though she is an opposition party leader. For the rest of the trip in Europe, it will be the same. It is hoped that all this international support will help to promote Myanmar’s development and national reconciliation.

Within a few months after her victory in the by-election, Suu Kyi has now successfully connected the once isolated country to the world community. Besides her, there are other players who can help or undermine her efforts. For the time being, apart from the Nobel Prize, her working relations with President Thein Sein and the military is equally important to ensure that reforms continue and stability endures.