A 32-year-old government worker in Lashio, Shan State explains why she joined the civil disobedience movement (CDM) and tells the Kite Tales that this time it is an intergenerational struggle against the military.

I want true democracy in our country. I want us to be able to select the government we want. And I want laws that are fair. I want all the different races and regions in this country to have equal rights. I also don’t want our country to be inferior compared to the rest of the world.

In my family, I’m the only public sector worker. Family members who are not working for the government have been protesting on the streets. As someone working for the government, I thought I could do something that could be more effective than street protests. These staff are crucial if we want to stop the machinery of the dictatorship - a government that is not of our own choosing. That’s why I choose the CDM. 

Since the day of the coup I have wanted to do whatever I could and I’m still trying to decide what more I can do in the future. There were coups too during my parents and grandparents’ times. Those coups were successful, so I lived under military dictatorship. That’s why I don’t want to go back to the time of military rule. It was a time when there was no security. A time when we had to fear whoever had weapons. The new generation who are so smart and have such a bright future, I don’t want them to suffer the consequences of military rule.

The difference between this coup and the previous ones is that there are many generations involved this time. People with experience from previous coups have strategies and plans, they can assess strengths and weaknesses and advise us. And the new generation is very brave. They are very good with technology and can connect internationally, which means they can communicate our desires to everyone.

At the moment, we are all on the same path and anyone can be a good leader as well as a good follower. If you look at the protests, the crowds don’t engage in violence. They know they have to protest peacefully. We know based on past experiences, that it is very easy for religious riots to happen during these times. But we are aware of that and are negotiating between different races and religions to prevent this from happening. Day after day you have tens of thousands of protestors on the streets but there are no leaders. It is so gratifying to see that. It is great that there is this awareness that we have to look after each other to reach our goal.

We want real, federal democracy in the future. We don’t want fake democracy.

Artwork with thanks to https://www.artforfreedommm.com/