By Lubna Abdel-Aziz How would you define a human life that is totally devoted to the struggle for freedom, but never quite achieving it? hopeless and useless? desolate and tragic? glorious and blessed? It matters little to Aung San Suu Kyi. Freedom was the object, the subject, the reality and the dream that consumed her life. If you have not heard of Aung San Suu Kyi, you are about to, and your life will be all the richer for it. This unique individual, and her zealous journey in pursuit of man's birthright is worthy of our fervent admiration. She is no young slinky, sexy celebrity rocking and rolling in glitzy glamour. She is a slight, frail 65 year old Burmese woman, whose single-minded struggle for freedom, leaves us trembling in awe. If one man with courage is a majority, so is one woman. Aung San Suu Kyi is such a woman. She was born on 19 June, 1945 to Burma's independence hero Aung San, and diplomat Khin Kyi. One month after her second birthday, her father was assassinated, July 19, 1947. Her name is derived from three relatives, Aung San, from her father, Suu from her grandmother, and Kyi from her mother. She has no surname as is the custom in Burma. Today she is often referred to as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Daw is an honorific title, similar to 'madame', reserved for older revered women. At age 15, she accompanied her mother to Delhi. on her appointment as Burmese ambassador to India and Nepal. Suu Kyi studied politics and economics, at Delhi University. From there she went to Oxford for further studies where she met her future husband, Michael Aris a British scholar of Tibetan origin. They were married in 1972, and had two sons, Alexander and Kim. Suu Kyi returned to Rangoon to nurse her dying mother. Filled with apprehension and anticipation, Suu Kyi found her country in turmoil, and her countrymen engaged in a mass uprising demanding free elections and democratic rule drawing millions of protestors against the party in power, The Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP). Suu Kyi joined them. She addressed a crowd of half a million, in Rangoon, demanding a democratic government. The military responded with brute force, killing thousands. A group of dissenters formed the National League for Democracy, (NLD), selecting Suu Kyi as the secretary-general. A few months later, her mother died. At the funeral procession a huge crowd of supporters gathered, forming a peaceful protest against the militia. Why is it that some human beings insist on depriving other human beings of that precious right... the right to be free? Facing increasing domestic and international pressure, the dictatorship was forced to call a general election. Suu Kyi was banned from personally standing in the election. Despite adverse conditions the NLD won a staggering 82 per cent of the seats in Parliament. The results were never recognized, and Aung San Suu Kyi was held under arrest for five years. After her release, she tried to travel to London to be with her husband who was dying of prostate cancer, but she knew she would never be allowed to return. Her husband's request to visit Burma to be with his wife one last time, was rejected. They had not seen each other in four years. He died in London with only his sons by his side. Once again she was placed under house arrest in 2000. In 2002, she was released following a deal negotiated by a UN envoy. Promises were made by the military, but evaporated soon after, in the mist of a Rangoon dawn. She was however, allowed to travel around the country again. When thousands came out to see her, the military was dismayed. They had hoped that after her long period of detention, she would have been forgotten by the masses. Her appeal was stronger than ever. An assassination attempt on her life failed, but 72 of her supporters were beaten to death. Once again she was held in detention under house arrest. This time she was allowed no phone calls, mail or security by members of her party. Occasionally, a UN or US envoy would be permitted to visit, yet last year the UN secretary-general Bar Ki-Moon was denied a request to meet with her. Suu Kyi won endless Human Rights awards from numerous nations around the world, a salute to her life's sacrifice in the service of human freedom. Among those awards were the Nobel Peace Prize,the Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament and the United States' Presidential Medal of Freedom. She called on people around the world to join the struggle for freedom in Burma, saying, " Please use your liberty to promote ours". Decades of detention, 15 years out of the past 21, never weakened her determination, or shaken her resolve. Aung San Suu Kyi ls fully aware that the task of reforming society must never be abandoned. She was released again on 13 November. Two days after being freed, she spoke to the BBC, expressing her aim for a peaceful revolution in Burma. She quickly added, she did not know how long it would take. There are still 2,100 political prisoners, in Burma, who must be freed. The fight for freedom continues. "Freedom is not ours by inheritance. It must be fought for and defended constantly, by each generation", said the late American President Ronald Reagan, whose country is the birthplace of, " Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" How much more would the fight be when freedom is not acknowledged in the country of your birth. Such was the case in Aung San Suu Kyi's country, and she took it upon herself to fight for it. We are all born free, though I do not believe we are born equal. It is our freedom which allows us to toil and labour and earn our equalit. Freedom, cried the Scottish Braveheart, as he rode into a losing battle against the mighty oppressor...for it is far nobler to die on our feet, than to live on our knees. I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free. -- Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
