Two kinds of history were made in Myanmar today.
There was the good kind: after more than five decades of military rule, the government swore in a president chosen by a democratically-elected parliament.
And then there was the cringe kind: that president, Htin Kyaw, ascended the small stage inside the parliament in Naypyitaw and proceeded to deliver one of the shortest and most insubstantial speeches in the history of politics.
The timing was not exact, but one observer put it at three minutes. It could not have been more than seven. It also mentioned Aung San Suu Kyi, in case you thought he wasn’t a proxy president.
We don’t mean to be harsh, but read this rough translation of the speech and judge for yourself.
Dear speaker, MPs, distinguished guests and citizens, I want to say that I am very glad that I was selected as president by the Union Parliament [and it] is a very historic event. As I became president, I need to be responsible for the Union Parliament, second parliament and the cabinet, which is a result from the 2015 November Election, formed by the NLD which is led by Aung San Suu Kyi. This government will work to have a constitution which prioritizes peace, to have a democratic federal state and national reconciliation and will work to have better living standards.
Dear Speaker, MPs, distinguished guests and citizens, I have a serious fact to express in this place at this moment. Recently, I took the oath to become president. And I will always remind myself to take care of this oath. Moreover, I am responsible to implement a constitution with democratic standards which is suitable for the country. And I also understand that I need to be patient to implement this political ambition which is desired by people since a long time ago.”
“As the last part of speech, I want to say that this government will completely try to fulfill the desires and expectations of the people. May all citizens go about their lives peacefully.
That’s it. It’s not that it’s a bad speech (although it is), it’s that you’d think the occasion called for something a little better in the words department, especially from someone like Htin Kyaw who is supposed to be a writer. That being said, he probably was not the person who crafted it, so we shouldn’t kill the messenger.
Some observers noted the reference to the constitution, which implies they want to change it to let Suu Kyi be president. She is barred from the post because she has foreign children.
Fine, but a historic occasion is a historic occasion. It calls for historic speeches. This was not one of them.
