The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook
adds to the welcome given by Members of both houses when she addressed
them yesterday
Nobel prize winner and newly elected
parliamentarian Aung San Suu Kyi addressed members of both Houses in
Westminster Hall yesterday (Thursday 21 June) at 3pm during her visit to
the UK and became the first non-head of State and only the second woman
to address both houses. The other is of course Her Majesty the Queen.
Commons Speaker, John Bercow MP, gave a welcome address introducing Aung San Suu Kyi's speech. Mr Bercow said:
"This
Hall has hosted many events over the past 900 years. In recent times
only a few international figures - Charles de Gaulle, Nelson Mandela,
Pope Benedict XVI and Barack Obama - have spoken here. Today Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi will become the first figure other than a Head of State, the
first woman from abroad and the first citizen of Asia to do so.
"This
is not a break from precedent without a purpose. The courage of our
guest is legendary. She has withstood the unimaginable suffering of
separation from her family and her people with a dignity, fortitude and
resolve which most of us can barely conceive. Her connections with the
United Kingdom, reinforced in Oxford yesterday, are intimate. She has
been the symbol of resistance to a regime which even in an imperfect
world has been exceptional in its barbarity. As the UN has documented,
and from three trips to Burma's borders I can myself attest, this is a
cabal guilty of rape as a weapon of war, extra-judicial killings,
compulsory relocation, forced labour, deployment of child soldiers, use
of human minesweepers, incarceration of opponents in unspeakable
conditions, destruction of villages, obstruction of aid and excruciating
torture. Burma has become a beautiful but benighted land where fear
runs through society like blood flowing through veins. One woman has now
defied a dictatorship of such depravity for two decades. That is why
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a leader and a stateswoman, is here with us this
afternoon.
"However, there is room for cautious optimism. The
recent election to Parliament of our guest, accompanied by 42 of her
colleagues, and the release of many political prisoners are welcome
signs of reform. We earnestly hope that further, and fundamental, reform
will ultimately lead to the freedom, democracy and rule of law which we
have so long enjoyed and the people of Burma have too long been denied.
There is an Asian saying that a journey of a thousand miles must start
with a single step. We are proud that one such step will be taken in
this Parliament today.
"Parliamentary colleagues, ladies and
gentlemen, it is my privilege to welcome the conscience of a country and
a heroine for humanity, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi."
In her address she
said it was important to empower the people of Burma, and now was her
country's time of greatest need. Ms Suu Kyi said:
"I am here in
part to ask for practical help, help as a friend and an equal, in
support of the reforms which can bring better lives, greater
opportunities, to the people of Burma who have been for so long deprived
of their rights and their place in the world.
"My country today
stands at the start of a journey towards, I hope, a better future. So
many hills remain to be climbed, chasms to be bridged, obstacles to be
breached.
"Our own determination can get us so far. The support of
the people of Britain and of peoples around the world can get us so
much further."
She stressed that it had been less than 100 days
since she was on the campaign trail in Burma and went on to have the
electoral success that that has made her opposition leader in
parliament.
This remarkable personal transition encourages her in
her belief that "before too long" Burma will become a truly democratic
society."
But she warns that Burma's transition will be tough - "the most difficult road we have ever walked", she said in the address.
Vital,
in her view, is help in building Burma's democratic institutions and
education, and developing a "clean and efficient" civil service.
Ms Suu Kyi concluded her speech by saying there was a lot more work to be done before reform in Burma was complete.
She
said: "I would ask that our friends, both here in Britain and beyond,
participate in and support Burma's efforts towards the establishment of a
truly democratic and just society."
Lord Speaker, Baroness D'Souza, gave a valedictory address thanking Aung San Suu Kyi following her speech. She said:
"On
behalf of the House of Lords, and everyone here today, may I express
our collective and heartfelt thanks for your inspiring words.
"We
all espouse freedom and democracy but few of us are called upon to pay
for and uphold these principles by spending 15 years in detention. Your
presence here today is a testament to your courageous approach of
steadfast non-violence and reason in the face of an oppressive, powerful
and determined regime.
"Your struggle has reverberated around the
world. It has forcibly reminded us that free and fair elections, a free
press, an independent judiciary, and the institutions of civil society
are the cornerstones of democracy and individual freedom. We take these
freedoms for granted at our peril. Democracy is never won once and
forever - it is a process requiring constant vigilance. Today you have
reminded us of the struggle that must continue in Burma and elsewhere.
"In
post-war Europe we have seen that it is possible for countries to make
the transition from totalitarianism to democracy, and I trust that this
will give you hope and encouragement for the journey ahead.
"Your
stand against repression has been at the heart of the National League
for Democracy's struggle. I am sure that at times during your long
campaign you must have felt unbearably lonely, though as you yourself
have said, the Nobel Peace Prize allowed you to feel part of the
international community. And indeed, through you, your people and your
country were always in our minds.
"Now, together, we must use this
occasion of your address to fellow parliamentarians to renew our own
determination to be part of the struggle for liberty whenever and
wherever it arises."
The proprietors and staff of the
Parliamentary Yearbook add to those good wishes and will follow closely
Burma's transition to a true democracy.
Web: http://www.parliamentaryyearbookinformationoffice.co.uk
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