Wishful Bengalizaiton on Rohingyas of Arakan by Rakhine census collectors could not be tolerated

By Huson Salm

RB Opinion

March 18, 2014

1) President U Thein Sein’s led Myanmar quasi-democratic government has systematically arranged everything to collect the coming census throughout the country with the help of the UK, USA, UNFPA, and the combination efforts of all ethnic groups, department staffers and concerned authorities, starting from the 30th of March 2014. The census movement is particularly aimed to collect the accurate data of the roughly estimated 60 million people of the nation for all round equal development of the social projects in future, in accordance to the nation’s statement. 

2) Though the coming nation-wide census progression is unanimously and warmly welcome by Rohingyas in Rakhine state to participate together with the entire nation as a welcoming step of the Union. The entire pessimistic Rakhine people and vigilantes are well organized to sternly discard the label of ‘Rohingyas’ during the census. It has seen continuous mass people at hostile demonstrations against the innocent, helpless and frustrated Rohingyas and Muslims in almost all townships of Rakhine state under the coordinated leadership and guidance of RNDP while the census commencement draws near. 

3) As a matter of fact, while the majority of Rohingyas are weak in knowledge and uneducated to understand the queries of the census, the Union Minister U Khin Ye has had a good initial plan to train some Rohingya intellectuals to perform in the census where there are Rohingyas, who will then be undertaking in the process among the Rohingya community to overcome the questionnaires which are both in Burmese and English languages. Inconsiderately though, the Minister U Khin Ye has unreasonably cancelled the plan. Instead the preparation is arranged with school teachers (Rakhine) in the process. After learning this mood of the Union Minister, the entire Rohingya people get loose hope due to the smoothness of the census in Rakhine state. 

4) In the meantime, wherever U Khin Ye goes along the state, he usually articulates to the gatherings to fill up correctly in the form, to tell the true identity of the relevant ethnic group whatever they want without hesitation. He also said that the individual filling up of the data is not to be applied in any particular purposes except population counting – whatever identity may be, anyone can fill up as per his/her wish, he said. Of course it has been true throughout the course of his articulation. 

5) Right now, the Rohingya people’s concern in Arakan state is that they believe and embrace the identity as “Rohingya” rather than any other term. The Rohingya from Rakhine are standing in line principal of census procedure and under the guidance of the government. But right now, entire Rohingya people are worried that the census collectors -who are already Rakhine- will only write down the term “Bengali” instead of “Rohingya” in the race column though “Rohingyas” would correctly spell their identity as ‘Rohingyas’. Rohingyas are also severely concerned that they could not be able to stand tall and face the unjust and incorrect action of the census collectors while Rohingyas are under oppressive, suppressive, threat, unjust, bias, intimidation and limbo situation in front of Rakhine state authorities who have been all along the unfriendly ,antagonistic, aggressive, unsympathetic and inhumane nature in the past three years. This is not totally exaggeration. 

6) In these days, the slogans, chanted by Rakhine people throughout Rakhine state are totally unacceptable and all these have been systematically designed by RNDP and local Rakhine leaders who have been well-built destructive forces to devastate overall social destruction of the Rohingya people. Rakhine people’s demonstration after demonstration are very dreadful, shocking, awful and these have been galvanizing more and more turmoil which leading to social instability and uncertainty of the fate of Rohingyas people in Rakhine state in the future. Rakhine MPs from respective townships, Rakhine state government, district authorities, township administrators and Rakhine ill feeling elders are accountable for these criminals and they are totally responsible for further social unrest and they are co-conspirators in these crimes. 

7) Regarding the census, the entire mass and class Rakhine people will earnestly attempt to undermine the census process in Rakhine state, spoiling the situation after finding scapegoat, the Rohingya people-- to blemish the face of Myanmar government which has been tarnished again and again because of Rakhine people’s inhumane famous criminal calamity to the world. 

8) This is now up to the central government to manage timely the Rakhine marauding forces and mad people not to be erupting the social dispute between two communities again and not to be worsen the situation because of the census --as every citizen has the right to take up in the census to fill up freely and correctly as per his/her wish. It also not suited that an ordinary Rakhine people should be governing against the other community whatever he wants to with big hand without reason. Rohingyas are getting loosing their patience. Suffering again and again by the hands of even ordinary Rakhine Buddhist people. 

9) In this regards, Rohingya people’s earnest request to the Union government is to exert pressure on Rakhine state government to maintain rule and restoration of law and order to suppress the Rakhine mob and that of the aggressive people from all along Rakhine state’ townships to peacefully wrap up the census operation. Or, to successfully finish the census activities, if the Rakhine state government is not interested to suppress the destructive forces that carry out atrocities against Rohingyas, the military forces should be assigned to control the mob so that Rakhine state would be calm and the census would be accomplished as per the standard of state policy. Otherwise Rakhine people again blotch the profile of the nation and that of the head of the state -- which will be stanching to every corner of the world.