Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi sounded off on the importance of press freedom earlier today at a speech in Yangon, Myanmar.
Suu Kyi spoke to kick off the 2014 East-West International Media Conference: Challenges of a Free Press in a ballroom crowded with local media and international delegates flown into town for the powwow.
After being introduced by actress Michelle Yeoh – who played her in biopic The Lady – Suu Kyi launched into a typically eloquent deliverance on the responsibility of the media:
Greater freedom demands greater responsibility. The great majority of us know how important a free press is. Without a free press we cannot lay the foundations of a healthy democracy. Because without a free press those in authority will be able to get away with many things which they should not be able to get away with. That is to say, unless there is a free press to check those who are in power, we will not be able to defend the rights and freedoms of the people.
Suu Kyi expounded later on the importance of the fourth estate as a watchdog against corruption:
If there is no free press to let the people as well as the government know what is going on in our country and what needs to be changed, and what needs to be improved and corrected, those in power will become complacent – as it is, I think they are already too complacent for their own good. We must all make sure that those who take on the responsibility of government understand that it is a responsibility not a privilege. And there, the press must help. A free press should be able to point out to the government what their responsibilities are and also to the people not just what their rights are but their responsibilities are as well.
Despite those powerful words, Suu Kyi showed less grasp of how social media works and its inarguable and massive influence over government and traditional media today. Referring to it as “the social media” and “they,” she seemed not to grasp the crowdsourced and viral nature of the platform… or the fact that pretty much everyone is on social media these days. Her words:
I don’t think that the social media has any less responsibility than the official media. It also must bear responsibility for whatever news, whatever information is circulated and make sure that it is correct and beneficial. I assume that social media is there to promote the cause of the present society and that is to promote greater inclusiveness, greater equality, and greater justice in society. So they must have their own principles and their own rules, and their work must be shaped according to those principles. I don’t think they’re any less responsible than the formal media.
While these ideas are noble, anyone who uses Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram knows that they are impossible.
In response to a question from a journalist about violence and confinement of Muslim Rohingyas in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, Suu Kyi answered forcefully:
To me rule of law is an extremely interesting subject, but I don’t think it is to many people. When I say the first thing you have to deal with in regards to the Rakhine is rule of law, people say I’ve said nothing about the situation because for them talking about rule of law is tantamount to talking about nothing. They don’t think it’s interesting. But it’s absolutely essential. It’s basic.
If we want to resolve problems that are created through acts of violence, we have to make sure that the necessary actions are taken to ensure that these acts of violence do not take place. And that’s rule of law. In any society, when there are tensions between different communities you have to first of all ensure security.
It’s an answer that still won’t satisfy those that accuse her of turning a blind eye to a humanitarian crisis for political reasons.
Suu Kyi was also celebrating the launch of her Suu Foundation which will fund healthcare and education in Myanmar.
2014 East-West International Media Conference: Challenges of a Free Press runs from tomorrow until Wednesday at Republic of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry (UMFCCI), UMFCCI Office Tower in Yangon. Topics discussed will include Myanmar media reforms, censorship, cyberspying, rule of law, reporting from disaster zone, and Myanmar’s media reforms. Coconuts Media founder Byron Perry is speaking on a panel titled “New media tools, trends, and techniques” moderated by Yahoo! Southeast Asia managing editor Alan Soon with Rappler.com CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa, Huffington Post executive tech editor Bianca Bosker, and NBC Bay Area digital editor Scott Pham.
Follow the conference by checking out the hashtag #EastWestMedia.
Photo: Aung San Suu Kyi departs the Co-Operative Business Center in Yangon, Myanmar after speaking on press freedom on March 9, 2014.
