She is the latest symbol of democracy in the world; now joining the ranks of Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and such other freedom loving personalities the world have come to know, who accepted personal tribulation in order to bequeath their people freedom. But unlike the three, her people of Myanmar are still to taste real freedom of democracy but her release is a step in that direction and a testament that soon and very soon they sure will join the democratic nations of the world. In Yangon Myanmar, the lady with a steely resolve who vowed to enthrone democracy for the people of Myanmar have finally secured her freedom from house arrest; seven long years after the military dictators holding the country to ransom failed to break her will and make her to renounce her pro-democracy credentials and activism. She was released from her somewhat private prison in a dilapidated lake-front villa where she was forced to call home the last seven years.
Democracy heroine Aung San Suu Kyi, 65, Icheoku and the world are proud of you for standing firm behind your conviction and not selling out on your people by accepting your persecutors' terms. Like Jesus Christ said, they can only break the temple housing the being and your eventual freedom just added another proof of that statement.
Like President Barack Obama said of this hero of his, a prison is a prison and it does not make any difference whether it is someone's living room or state's or federal prison; as what is important is that a person's freedom has been emasculated. In his own words, "Whether Aung San Suu Kyi is living in the prison of her house, or the prison of her country, does not change the fact that she, and the political opposition she represents, has been systematically silenced, incarcerated, and deprived of any opportunity to engage in political processes." Icheoku agrees intoto and adds that a confined-space freedom, be it in a home, house, apartment or even a mansion is no freedom at all; and Suu Kyi attests to this fact too.
Like Nigeria's 1993 election won by MKO Abiola was declared inconclusive by the military who later annulled it , and refused to handover to the winner, the military in Myanmar equally refused to hand over to Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy which won an election in 1990. But there ended the comparison as MKO Abiola was poisoned and died in prison; while today, the world is celebrating with Suu Kyi on her release from prison of house arrest. It will be recalled that in 2009 an American man swam uninvited to Suu Kyi lake-side house-arrest home and she was punished for sheltering him briefly. Finally Icheoku greets Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, on her release and wish her more courage on the thorny road ahead. The military is the same everywhere in third world countries - they are so much entrenched and do not usually yield the fountain of power upon mere wish-washy agitation but persistent mass action and sometimes lots of blood flow. Aung San Suu Kyi, please enjoy your freedom while it lasts, except you are ready to hang up your groves, as the fight is not over just yet; but as they say in freedom world, "aluta continua!"
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