Commentary: A New Definition of Politics
The definition of “politics” in dictionaries lacks one more description. That description fits both ancient and modern times. It applies in both the East and the West. And it is blind to creed and color. It is the art of assassination.
From American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and former US President John F Kennedy in the 1960s to former premier Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan last December, assassination fits squarely into that definition of politics.
Burmese politics is no exception. Its latest victim is Mahn Sha, a Karen rebel leader.
On Valentine’s Day, two cold-blooded gunmen walked into Mahn Sha’s house in Mae Sot, near Thailand’s border with Burma, and shot him in the heart after greeting him in Karen. “Ha ler gay (good evening),” they said. Then they drove away. Kyaw Zwa Moe (VS ‘06), comments in the Thailand-based English language news magazine The Irrawaddy.
