Back to Tell’s Land (Day-8,9,10)
Day Eight.
Friday, 22 January 2016
Federalism
should be a meeting point of all groups
Khil Raj
Regmi, former Prime Minister of Nepal
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| Dr Andreas Ladner |
Today, a jolly professor, Dr Andreas Ladner from the University of Lausanne is our
resource person on federalism.
Switzerland
may not have so many ethnic races like Burma, but it has 3 other important
differences that took centuries for them to overcome: religious denominations,
wealth and political disagreements.
At one point, he is asked why Switzerland did not choose to become a
union of 3 units based on language (Romansch is spoken by less than 100,000).
His reply is forthright: 3 units will make one canton too strong, which in turn
will create negative spontaneous reaction from the other units. Having several
cantons significantly reduces that kind of risk.
For those in
Burma advocating 8 states or 14 states configuration, his answer may well ring
a bell.
I think it is
also him who tells us why his country doesn’t have a popularly elected
president as in the United States. “Only Germans will be elected,” he says.
“And, that is not good for the union in the long run.”
He is not one
who sings only the praises of federalism. It has its own downside, he reminds
us. “Federalism costs money and time,” he says. “Sometime it is also very
difficult to implement a national policy, as each canton does it differently.”
Nevertheless,
I think the Swiss know it’s the price they have to pay for their union. So I
don’t think they’ll trade federalism for a unitary state, whatever the faults
of the former are.
Meanwhile, he
doubts China will ever adopt federalism. “Their psychology doesn’t work that
way,” he muses. “In their minds, China is the center and the rest are its peripheries.”
In the
afternoon, we visit Geneva, 94.7 km away. It is pleasantly sunny, the first sun
since our arrival.
I visit a
bookstore called Payot which has several English books. After more than an
hour, I choose one. To my regret, the store refuses to accept dollars. So I
return to our hotel empty handed.
Day Nine.
Saturday, 23 January 2016
Today is the
day for review of what we have learned and how we can put them to use. Which I
will not bother the reader with.
Except for
one thing: We have learned some, but not as much as we want. Because time has
been a great constraint. Maybe a refresher trip is what we need in the near
future. Remember Alexander Pope’s much
quoted and misquoted words, that “A little learning (not knowledge) is a dangerous
thing”?
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| Chateau Chillon |
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Chateau Gruyerse
|
In the
evening, we are out on the bank of the Geneva Lake, just a 100 paces out from
the hotel, decked in Shan costumes, for a photo session.
We are sort
of like a novelty in town. So naturally many towners take photos with/ of us.
Day Ten.
Sunday, 24 January 2016
Today we
visit two castles: Chillon and Gruyerse. And then the local hydropower plants.
Our escort Mr Antonie Dubas whose company works in Burma
says: Shan State, like Switzerland, has a lot of streams and lakes. Small
hydropower plants should be initiated by the local people. He is critical of
the World Bank’s mega projects.
Again when I
put the question to him about Bern’s peace efforts in Burma and his company’s
involvement in hydropower projects, he is not disturbed. “The politicians do
their job there,” he smilingly replies. “And we businesspeople do ours.”
Two days
later, we are back in Chiangmai, our home away from home.
By SAI KHUENSAI / Director of Pyidaungsu Institute and Founder of Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N)
All views expressed are the author’s own
Tags: Opinion
