Since taking power this year, Aung San Suu Kyi’s government has sought to strike a pose of modest living, with gift limits lowered for government employees and, most famously, not serving alcohol at the inauguration of President Htin Kyaw in March.
The latest example appeared at a state dinner for Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Naypyitaw on Tuesday, when (god forbid!) Lipton tea was served.
No one really cared except Aye Ne Win, the grandson of former dictator Ne Win (not a Lipton man, apparently), who was enraged by the modest, inoffensive choice, posting an absurd, borderline misogynistic screed on his Facebook in which he referred to Suu Kyi as “Old Girl.”
Take a second to think about the context here.
The no doubt priviliged descendant of the person who overthrew Myanmar’s democratically elected government in 1962 and sank the country’s economy into an abyss is criticising the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi for saving money at every corner and not buying pretentious brands of tea.
But maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised. Aye Ne Win is developing a track record of being out of touch.
Remember that this is the same person who waxed nostalgic about a birthday party at the Secretariat last year.
The Secretariat, an old colonial building downtown that used to be the seat of government and is also the site of Aung San’s assassination, is closed to the public.
We’re assuming that Lipton was definitely not served at that party.
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