THIS IS A CROSS-POST FROM A RABBIT’S EYE-VIEW OF THE HYPERBOREAN NORTH.
I think I will give this a miss in the same way that I gave Radovan Karadic’s poetry a miss: Burma’s military ruler, Senior General Than Shwe has been revealed as a budding lyricist.
This was revealed in a recent interview by Mya Than San, a former propagandist for the Junta. Than Shwe provided not only the lyrics to his 1990s composition, “Our Motherland” but also the seminal “We Don’t Care About Economic Sanctions”, performed by the president of the Myanmar Music Association, Accordion U Ohn Kyaw.
Than Shwe and other bigwigs had been reported to be stepping down from their military positions in order to assume civilian positions following the upcoming elections should they be elected in upcoming elections. Even disallowing for contradictory reports, were Than Shwe to saunter through the revolving doors, he would continue to meet with a frosty reception from Washington DC.
With this considered, Than Shwe would be better advized to make-do with the assets he and his family are reported to be stripping from Burma rather than tout his skills as a lyrcist. Like dictators before him he has had a captive audience, and may fall by the wayside in an open market.
This and other thoughts have been preying on his mind, which likely is why he and an auspicious number of aides attended the Bodh Gaya, a major Buddhist shrine in southern India.
Even by the standards of the supertitious ruling clique in Burma, their Commander in Chief is particularly prone to numerology and animist thinking; as discussed by the Burma Digest which suggested that an understanding of his weak spots is called for.
Although, maybe his public relations department could have interceded when he designated two private aeroplanes as White Elephants.