DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI: I would like to say
how happy I am to receive President Obama
in my country and in my house. The friendship
between our two countries is of long standing.
The United States has been staunch in its
support of the democracy movement in Burma,
and we are confident that this support will
continue through the difficult years that
lie ahead. I say difficult because the most
difficult time in any transition is when we
think that success is in sight. Then we have
to be very careful that we are not lured by
a mirage of success and that we are working
to a genuine success for our people and for
the friendship between our two countries.
I believe that we have been able to discuss
our various concerns openly, and that as a
result of the President’s visit to this
country, the relations between our countries
can only progress in the right direction.
I intend fully to keep in touch with the United
States government as far as possible, and
to make sure that we always liaise one another
on the most important matters.
Now, I’m told I have three minutes, and
I think this is about three minutes. So thank
you all for coming. And I leave the floor
to President Obama.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, I’ll try to be pretty
brief, although not as eloquent. I was honored
to be the first President to welcome Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi to the White House. I’m proud
to be the first American President to visit
this spectacular country, and I am very pleased
that one of my first stops is to visit with
an icon of democracy who has inspired so many
people not just in this country but all around
the world.
I especially want to thank Aung San Suu Kyi
for welcoming me to her home. Here, through
so many difficult years, is where she displayed
such unbreakable courage and determination.
It’s here where she showed that human freedom
and dignity cannot be denied.
Today marks the next step in a new chapter
between the United States and Burma. Last
year, in response to early flickers of reform,
I asked Secretary Clinton to visit this country
and explore with Aung San Suu Kyi and the
government whether the United States could
empower reform efforts and begin a new relationship
between our peoples.
In the year since, we’ve seen some very
encouraging progress, including Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi’s release and election to Parliament;
the release of political prisoners; the lifting
of restrictions on the press; and new laws
to expand labor rights and eliminate the use
of child soldiers. And at my direction, the
United States has responded to support these
reforms, including the easing of sanctions.
Now, as a former legislator myself, I followed
your role in the new Parliament with interest
and admiration. Real democracy involves having
different branches of government check and
balance each other, and I applaud your efforts
in that regard, particularly as the head of
the committee of the rule of law.
In my discussions here in Yangon, our goal
is to sustain the momentum for democratization.
That includes building credible government
institutions, establishing rule of law, ending
ethnic conflicts, and ensuring that the people
of this country have access to greater education,
health care, and economic opportunity.
And I want to make a pledge to the people
of this country that I am confident we can
keep, and that is if we see continued progress
towards reform, our bilateral ties will grow
stronger and we will do everything we can
to help ensure success.
I'm so happy, by the way, to be joined by
Secretary Clinton. This is her last foreign
trip that we're going to take together, and
it is fitting that we have come here to a
country that she has done so much to support.
Where did Hillary go? Where is she? There
she is. (Applause.)
I could not be more grateful, not only for
your service, Hillary, but also for the powerful
message that you and Aung San Suu Kyi send
about the importance of women and men everywhere
embracing and promoting democratic values
and human rights.
So again, I want to thank you, Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi, for your extraordinary hospitality
and grace; the power of your example, which
has been an inspiration to people all around
the world, including myself. Clearly, you
will be playing a key role in your country's
future for many years to come as Burma seeks
the freedom and the prosperity and the dignity
that not only the people of this country deserve
but people all around the world deserve.
So thank you for your inspiring message. (Applause.)
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you. (Applause.) Myanmar
Naingan, Mingalaba! (Laughter and applause.)
I am very honored to be here at this university
and to be the first President of the United
States of America to visit your country.
I came here because of the importance of your
country. You live at the crossroads of East
and South Asia. You border the most populated
nations on the planet. You have a history
that reaches back thousands of years, and
the ability to help determine the destiny
of the fastest growing region of the world.
I came here because of the beauty and diversity
of your country. I have seen just earlier
today the golden stupa of Shwedagon, and have
been moved by the timeless idea of metta -- the
belief that our time on this Earth can be
defined by tolerance and by love. And I know
this land reaches from the crowded neighborhoods
of this old city to the homes of more than
60,000 villages; from the peaks of the Himalayas,
the forests of Karen State, to the banks of
the Irrawady River.
I came here because of my respect for this
university. It was here at this school where
opposition to colonial rule first took hold.
It was here that Aung San edited a magazine
before leading an independence movement. It
was here that U Thant learned the ways of
the world before guiding it at the United
Nations. Here, scholarship thrived during
the last century and students demanded their
basic human rights. Now, your Parliament has
at last passed a resolution to revitalize
this university and it must reclaim its greatness,
because the future of this country will be
determined by the education of its youth.
I came here because of the history between
our two countries. A century ago, American
traders, merchants and missionaries came here
to build bonds of faith and commerce and friendship.
And from within these borders in World War
II, our pilots flew into China and many of
our troops gave their lives. Both of our nations
emerged from the British Empire, and the United
States was among the first countries to recognize
an independent Union of Burma. We were proud
to found an American Center in Rangoon and
to build exchanges with schools like this
one. And through decades of differences, Americans
have been united in their affection for this
country and its people.
Above all, I came here because of America’s
belief in human dignity. Over the last several
decades, our two countries became strangers.
But today, I can tell you that we always remained
hopeful about the people of this country,
about you. You gave us hope and we bore witness
to your courage.
We saw the activists dressed in white visit
the families of political prisoners on Sundays
and monks dressed in saffron protesting peacefully
in the streets. We learned of ordinary people
who organized relief teams to respond to a
cyclone, and heard the voices of students
and the beats of hip-hop artists projecting
the sound of freedom. We came to know exiles
and refugees who never lost touch with their
families or their ancestral home. And we were
inspired by the fierce dignity of Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi, as she proved that no human being
can truly be imprisoned if hope burns in your
heart.
When I took office as President, I sent a
message to those governments who ruled by
fear. I said, in my inauguration address,
“We will extend a hand if you are willing
to unclench your fist.” And over the last
year and a half, a dramatic transition has
begun, as a dictatorship of five decades has
loosened its grip. Under President Thein Sein,
the desire for change has been met by an agenda
for reform. A civilian now leads the government,
and a parliament is asserting itself. The
once-outlawed National League for Democracy
stood in an election, and Aung San Suu Kyi
is a Member of Parliament. Hundreds of prisoners
of conscience have been released, and forced
labor has been banned. Preliminary cease-fires
have been reached with ethnic armies, and
new laws allow for a more open economy.
So today, I’ve come to keep my promise and
extend the hand of friendship. America now
has an Ambassador in Rangoon, sanctions have
been eased, and we will help rebuild an economy
that can offer opportunity for its people,
and serve as an engine of growth for the world.
But this remarkable journey has just begun,
and has much further to go. Reforms launched
from the top of society must meet the aspirations
of citizens who form its foundation. The flickers
of progress that we have seen must not be
extinguished -- they must be strengthened;
they must become a shining North Star for
all this nation’s people.
And your success in that effort is important
to the United States, as well as to me. Even
though we come from different places, we share
common dreams: to choose our leaders; to live
together in peace; to get an education and
make a good living; to love our families and
our communities. That’s why freedom is not
an abstract idea; freedom is the very thing
that makes human progress possible -- not
just at the ballot box, but in our daily lives.
One of our greatest Presidents in the United
States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, understood
this truth. He defined America’s cause as
more than the right to cast a ballot. He understood
democracy was not just voting. He called upon
the world to embrace four fundamental freedoms:
freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom
from want, and freedom from fear. These four
freedoms reinforce one another, and you cannot
fully realize one without realizing them all.
So that's the future that we seek for ourselves,
and for all people. And that is what I want
to speak to you about today.
First, we believe in the right of free expression
so that the voices of ordinary people can
be heard, and governments reflect their will
-- the people's will.
In the United States, for more than two centuries,
we have worked to keep this promise for all
of our citizens -- to win freedom for those
who were enslaved; to extend the right to
vote for women and African Americans; to protect
the rights of workers to organize.
And we recognize no two nations achieve these
rights in exactly the same way, but there
is no question that your country will be stronger
if it draws on the strength of all of its
people. That’s what allows nations to succeed.
That’s what reform has begun to do.
Instead of being repressed, the right of people
to assemble together must now be fully respected.
Instead of being stifled, the veil of media
censorship must continue to be lifted. And
as you take these steps, you can draw on your
progress. Instead of being ignored, citizens
who protested the construction of the Myitsone
dam were heard. Instead of being outlawed,
political parties have been allowed to participate.
You can see progress being made. As one voter
said during the parliamentary elections here,
“Our parents and grandparents waited for
this, but never saw it.” And now you can
see it. You can taste freedom.
And to protect the freedom of all the voters,
those in power must accept constraints. That's
what our American system is designed to do.
Now, America may have the strongest military
in the world, but it must submit to civilian
control. I, as the President of the United
States, make determinations that the military
then carries out, not the other way around.
As President and Commander-In-Chief, I have
that responsibility because I'm accountable
to the people.
Now, on other hand, as President, I cannot
just impose my will on Congress -- the Congress
of the United States -- even though sometimes
I wish I could. The legislative branch has
its own powers and its own prerogatives, and
so they check my power and balance my power.
I appoint some of our judges, but I cannot
tell them how to rule, because every person
in America -- from a child living in poverty
to me, the President of the United States
-- is equal under the law. And a judge can
make a determination as to whether or not
I am upholding the law or breaking the law.
And I am fully accountable to that law.
And I describe our system in the United States
because that's how you must reach for the
future that you deserve -- a future where
a single prisoner of conscience is one too
many. You need to reach for a future where
the law is stronger than any single leader,
because it's accountable to the people. You
need to reach for a future where no child
is made to be a soldier and no woman is exploited,
and where the laws protect them even if they're
vulnerable, even if they're weak; a future
where national security is strengthened by
a military that serves under civilians and
a Constitution that guarantees that only those
who are elected by the people may govern.
On that journey, America will support you
every step of the way -- by using our assistance
to empower civil society; by engaging your
military to promote professionalism and human
rights; and by partnering with you as you
connect your progress towards democracy with
economic development. So advancing that journey
will help you pursue a second freedom -- the
belief that all people should be free from
want.
It's not enough to trade a prison of powerlessness
for the pain of an empty stomach. But history
shows that governments of the people and by
the people and for the people are far more
powerful in delivering prosperity. And that's
the partnership we seek with you.
When ordinary people have a say in their own
future, then your land can’t just be taken
away from you. And that's why reforms must
ensure that the people of this nation can
have that most fundamental of possessions
-- the right to own the title to the land
on which you live and on which you work.
When your talents are unleashed, then opportunity
will be created for all people. America is
lifting our ban on companies doing business
here, and your government has lifted restrictions
on investment and taken steps to open up your
economy. And now, as more wealth flows into
your borders, we hope and expect that it will
lift up more people. It can't just help folks
at the top. It has to help everybody. And
that kind of economic growth, where everybody
has opportunity -- if you work hard, you can
succeed -- that's what gets a nation moving
rapidly when it comes to develop.
But that kind of growth can only be created
if corruption is left behind. For investment
to lead to opportunity, reform must promote
budgets that are transparent and industry
that is privately owned.
To lead by example, America now insists that
our companies meet high standards of openness
and transparency if they're doing business
here. And we'll work with organizations like
the World Bank to support small businesses
and to promote an economy that allows entrepreneurs,
small businesspeople to thrive and allows
workers to keep what they earn. And I very
much welcome your government’s recent decision
to join what we've called our Open Government
Partnership, so that citizens can come to
expect accountability and learn exactly how
monies are spent and how your system of government
operates.
Above all, when your voices are heard in government,
it's far more likely that your basic needs
will be met. And that’s why reform must
reach the daily lives of those who are hungry
and those who are ill, and those who live
without electricity or water. And here, too,
America will do our part in working with you.
Today, I was proud to reestablish our USAID
mission in this country, which is our lead
development agency. And the United States
wants to be a partner in helping this country,
which used to be the rice bowl of Asia, to
reestablish its capacity to feed its people
and to care for its sick, and educate its
children, and build its democratic institutions
as you continue down the path of reform.
This country is famous for its natural resources,
and they must be protected against exploitation.
And let us remember that in a global economy,
a country’s greatest resource is its people.
So by investing in you, this nation can open
the door for far more prosperity -- because
unlocking a nation’s potential depends on
empowering all its people, especially its
young people.
Just as education is the key to America’s
future, it is going to the be the key to your
future as well. And so we look forward to
working with you, as we have with many of
your neighbors, to extend that opportunity
and to deepen exchanges among our students.
We want students from this country to travel
to the United States and learn from us, and
we want U.S. students to come here and learn
from you.
And this truth leads me to the third freedom
that I want to discuss: the freedom to worship
-- the freedom to worship as you please, and
your right to basic human dignity.
This country, like my own country, is blessed
with diversity. Not everybody looks the same.
Not everybody comes from the same region.
Not everybody worships in the same way. In
your cities and towns, there are pagodas and
temples, and mosques and churches standing
side by side. Well over a hundred ethnic groups
have been a part of your story. Yet within
these borders, we’ve seen some of the world’s
longest running insurgencies, which have cost
countless lives, and torn families and communities
apart, and stood in the way of development.
No process of reform will succeed without
national reconciliation. (Applause.) You now
have a moment of remarkable opportunity to
transform cease-fires into lasting settlements,
and to pursue peace where conflicts still
linger, including in Kachin State. Those efforts
must lead to a more just and lasting peace,
including humanitarian access to those in
need, and a chance for the displaced to return
home.
Today, we look at the recent violence in Rakhine
State that has caused so much suffering, and
we see the danger of continued tensions there.
For too long, the people of this state, including
ethnic Rakhine, have faced crushing poverty
and persecution. But there is no excuse for
violence against innocent people. And the
Rohingya hold themselves -- hold within themselves
the same dignity as you do, and I do.
National reconciliation will take time, but
for the sake of our common humanity, and for
the sake of this country’s future, it is
necessary to stop incitement and to stop violence.
And I welcome the government’s commitment
to address the issues of injustice and accountability,
and humanitarian access and citizenship. That’s
a vision that the world will support as you
move forward.
Every nation struggles to define citizenship.
America has had great debates about these
issues, and those debates continue to this
day, because we’re a nation of immigrants
-- people coming from every different part
of the world. But what we’ve learned in
the United States is that there are certain
principles that are universal, apply to everybody
no matter what you look like, no matter where
you come from, no matter what religion you
practice. The right of people to live without
the threat that their families may be harmed
or their homes may be burned simply because
of who they are or where they come from.
Only the people of this country ultimately
can define your union, can define what it
means to be a citizen of this country. But
I have confidence that as you do that you
can draw on this diversity as a strength and
not a weakness. Your country will be stronger
because of many different cultures, but you
have to seize that opportunity. You have to
recognize that strength.
I say this because my own country and my own
life have taught me the power of diversity.
The United States of America is a nation of
Christians and Jews, and Muslims and Buddhists,
and Hindus and non-believers. Our story is
shaped by every language; it’s enriched
by every culture. We have people from every
corners of the world. We’ve tasted the bitterness
of civil war and segregation, but our history
shows us that hatred in the human heart can
recede; that the lines between races and tribes
fade away. And what’s left is a simple truth:
e pluribus unum -- that’s what we say in
America. Out of many, we are one nation and
we are one people. And that truth has, time
and again, made our union stronger. It has
made our country stronger. It’s part of
what has made America great.
We amended our Constitution to extend the
democratic principles that we hold dear. And
I stand before you today as President of the
most powerful nation on Earth, but recognizing
that once the color of my skin would have
denied me the right to vote. And so that should
give you some sense that if our country can
transcend its differences, then yours can,
too. Every human being within these borders
is a part of your nation’s story, and you
should embrace that. That’s not a source
of weakness, that’s a source of strength
-- if you recognize it.
And that brings me to the final freedom that
I will discuss today, and that is the right
of all people to live free from fear.
In many ways, fear is the force that stands
between human beings and their dreams. Fear
of conflict and the weapons of war. Fear of
a future that is different from the past.
Fear of changes that are reordering our societies
and economy. Fear of people who look different,
or come from a different place, or worship
in a different way. In some of her darkest
moments, when Aung San Suu Kyi was imprisoned,
she wrote an essay about freedom from fear.
She said fear of losing corrupts those who
wield it -- “Fear of losing power corrupts
those who wield it, and fear of the scourge
of power corrupts those who are subject to
it.”
That's the fear that you can leave behind.
We see that chance in leaders who are beginning
to understand that power comes from appealing
to people’s hopes, not people's fears. We
see it in citizens who insist that this time
must be different, that this time change will
come and will continue. As Aung San Suu Kyi
wrote: “Fear is not the natural state of
civilized man.” I believe that. And today,
you are showing the world that fear does not
have to be the natural state of life in this
country.
That’s why I am here. That’s why I came
to Rangoon. And that’s why what happens
here is so important -- not only to this region,
but to the world. Because you're taking a
journey that has the potential to inspire
so many people. This is a test of whether
a country can transition to a better place.
The United States of America is a Pacific
nation, and we see our future as bound to
those nations and peoples to our West. And
as our economy recovers, this is where we
believe we will find enormous growth. As we
have ended the wars that have dominated our
foreign policy for a decade, this region will
be a focus for our efforts to build a prosperous
peace.
Here in Southeast Asia, we see the potential
for integration among nations and people.
And as President, I have embraced ASEAN for
reasons that go beyond the fact that I spent
some of my childhood in this region, in Indonesia.
Because with ASEAN, we see nations that are
on the move -- nations that are growing, and
democracies that are emerging; governments
that are cooperating; progress that’s building
on the diversity that spans oceans and islands
and jungles and cities, peoples of every race
and every religion. This is what the 21st
century should look like if we have the courage
to put aside our differences and move forward
with a sense of mutual interest and mutual
respect.
And here in Rangoon, I want to send a message
across Asia: We don’t need to be defined
by the prisons of the past. We need to look
forward to the future. To the leadership of
North Korea, I have offered a choice: let
go of your nuclear weapons and choose the
path of peace and progress. If you do, you
will find an extended hand from the United
States of America.
In 2012, we don’t need to cling to the divisions
of East, West and North and South. We welcome
the peaceful rise of China, your neighbor
to the North; and India, your neighbor to
the West. The United Nations -- the United
States will work with any nation, large or
small, that will contribute to a world that
is more peaceful and more prosperous, and
more just and more free. And the United States
will be a friend to any nation that respects
the rights of its citizens and the responsibilities
of international law.
That's the nation, that's the world that you
can start to build here in this historic city.
This nation that's been so isolated can show
the world the power of a new beginning, and
demonstrate once again that the journey to
democracy goes hand in hand with development.
I say this knowing that there are still countless
people in this country who do not enjoy the
opportunities that many of you seated here
do. There are tens of millions who have no
electricity. There are prisoners of conscience
who still await release. There are refugees
and displaced peoples in camps where hope
is still something that lies on the distant
horizon.
Today, I say to you -- and I say to everybody
that can hear my voice -- that the United
States of America is with you, including those
who have been forgotten, those who are dispossessed,
those who are ostracized, those who are poor.
We carry your story in our heads and your
hopes in our hearts, because in this 21st
century with the spread of technology and
the breaking down of barriers, the frontlines
of freedom are within nations and individuals,
not simply between them.
As one former prisoner put it in speaking
to his fellow citizens, “Politics is your
job. It’s not only for [the] politicians.”
And we have an expression in the United States
that the most important office in a democracy
is the office of citizen -- not President,
not Speaker, but citizen. (Applause.)
So as extraordinary and difficult and challenging
and sometimes frustrating as this journey
may seem, in the end, you, the citizens of
this country, are the ones who must define
what freedom means. You're the ones who are
going to have to seize freedom, because a
true revolution of the spirit begins in each
of our hearts. It requires the kind of courage
that so many of your leaders have already
displayed.
The road ahead will be marked by huge challenges,
and there will be those who resist the forces
of change. But I stand here with confidence
that something is happening in this country
that cannot be reversed, and the will of the
people can lift up this nation and set a great
example for the world. And you will have in
the United States of America a partner on
that long journey. So, cezu tin bad de. (Applause.)
Thank you. (Applause.)