The Return of the Lady

As long as I have been alive, Aung San Suu Kyi has been a beacon for democracy and prisoners of conscience around the world. The daughter of Burma's founding father, she returned to her home country in 1988, as the military dictatorship which ruled it was struggling to hold on to power. In the 1990 elections, her National League for Democracy party took 57.8% of the vote, and 80% of the seats in parliament, crushing the military backed political parties. She seemed destined for power, to lead Burma into the light.

It never happened. The generals who ran the country were shocked, so they nullified the election results and launched a crackdown on the NLD. Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest. The following years were bleak. Her Nobel Prize for Peace, in 1991, was awarded to an empty chair, as the military refused to let her leave the country. In 1999, her British husband died of cancer, not having seen his wife in years. Periods of freedom were short-lived. She was often to be seen leaning over the gates of her Rangoon home, megaphone in hand, speaking to those brave enough to risk concentrating there.

But amongst ordinary Burmese, she became 'The Lady,' a symbol of the future that might have been. Around the world she was lauded as an icon, a symbol of the best of humanity. Burmese leaders could not travel to any Western democracy without being harangued about the fate of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Eventually, the generals relented. In 2010 a rigged election started a slow, painful transition to democracy. The Lady was released. Over a decade late, she collected her Nobel Prize.

But the process was fraught with tension. The generals were still calling all the shots. The Burmese constitution was written to deliberately exclude her from power. A quarter of all MPs were to be appointed by the army.

No matter. Last Sunday, Burma had its first free elections since that May day in 1990. Once again, the NLD smashed the army backed politicians. The generals have admitted defeat. Aung San Suu Kyi is finally headed for the prize many believed she would never get.

The way ahead is not easy. Many are worried that, now she is a politician and no longer a symbol, the shine will come off of The Lady, as she faces the real world dilemmas of governing. But I know which she would prefer. Governing, any day. Nelson Mandela proved you could be both a symbolic liberator and a healing politician. Let's let The Lady try too.

Aung San Suu Kyi stands as a beacon for democracy, prisoners of conscience, and human rights. I really hope her time as Burma's leader is successful. God knows she deserves it.

The 1990 Burmese Election