Political Beginnings of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi(Angel of Peace)

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi returned to Myanmar in 1988 to take

care of her ailing mother. By coincidence, in that year,

the long-time leader of the socialist ruling party,

General Ne Win, stepped down, leading to mass

demonstrations for democratisation on August 8, 1988

(8-8-88, a day seen as favorable), which were violently

suppressed. A new military junta took power.

Heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of

non-violence ,Daw Aung San Suu Kyi entered politics to

work for democratisation, helped found the National League

for Democracy on 27 September 1988, and was put under

house arrest on 20 July 1989. She was offered freedom if

she would leave the country, but she refused.

One of her most famous speeches is the "Freedom From Fear"

speech, which begins:


“ It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing

power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge

of power corrupts those who are subject to it. ”