Burma's U Nu

...A New Look in Politicians Burma's U Nu by LEONARD S. KENWORTHY Afew weeks ago I made a journey to the sleepy Burmese town of Moulmein, about a hundred miles across the bay from Rangoon, not to see Kipling's famous pogoda, but to interview U Nu, Burma's prime minister and one of the great political leaders of our times...

...Yet, U Nu understood that none of these steps could become permanent advances until adequately trained personnel was available to maintain them...

...But after talking with many persons who know him well, reading through scores xof his speeches, and talking with him personally, I am convinced that he is deeply interested in religion as the foundation which undergirds his own life and, he believes, should undergird the life of this new nation...

...But he did not wear the gaung baung, the tight fitting turban with a bow on the right side, worn by men of distinction in Burma...

...What, then, does he have...

...His speeches are filled with references to aims, goals, and purposes as "pillars...

...U Nu does not appear to have the breadth of knowledge or the keen mind of Nehru...

...And even in Rangoon there were barricades, strikes, and some street fighting...

...From 13 or 14 to 18, I drank much more heavily than other students my age...

...Then, one night, walking alone, I thought, 'If only I could be good, give up drinking, I could pass those exams.' At that moment I made a vow not to touch wine for five years...

...Seldom does he pass up a chance to question his visitors...

...In the years after college he taught for a time and studied law...

...There are those in Burma and elsewhere who say that his interest in religion is solely or primarily political...

...I had started drinking at the age of nine...

...I asked...

...The dividend on my investment of effort came in an interview with him on a Sunday afternoon on the porch of the teachers college where he was staying...

...Moreover, they were not as well versed in economics and thus did not fully understand the advantages of belonging to the Commonwealth...

...He has himself admitted that part of his interest in religion is as a unifying factor in a country 85 per cent of whose people are Buddhist...

...The period since I met him has brought a split within his Anti- Fascist Peoples Freedom League party, and he has maintained his position as prime minister only by overtures to the left wing...

...The British had finally agreed to a constitution after the Labor Party had come into power...

...Some of them stay in those places...

...But he is still head of Burma, hoping to be able to devote more and more time and energy to the problems of economic and social reconstruction than he has been able to give in the last ten years, pushing ahead his comprehensive program for Burma's future...

...He replied, "By that time we should be completely unified within our country...

...At public meetings I urged students not to salute, but merely to say 'Good morning' or 'Hello...

...Would he live up to Max Lerner's estimate: "I know of no one in Asia who matches him in the combination of humanity, adroitness, and moral force...

...But they could not unite, for they represented such diverse political viewpoints and different ethnic groups...

...One day a student complained to me that the principal had refused him permission to go home for a religious fete—a time when Burmese families want everyone to be present...

...He is honest, gentle, genial, generous, humble, kindly—qualities held high in his culture and therefore expected in a leader...

...Then he seemed to sense that he ought to "cover" himself and added quickly, "Not that the Commonwealth countries aren't independent...

...I have learned very little from others or from your writings about your rather hectic youth and wonder if you would comment on how you overcame your habit of drinking to excess while still a boy...

...This was U Nu the philosopher and religious leader speaking from the heart...

...Money is relatively easy to obtain, but in ten years we cannot produce enough qualified technicians and administrators...

...I admit that intellectual and healthy persons are necessary for the progress of the world, but the world will be doomed if we have only people with intellect but without character...

...He continued his account of those days, telling how he began to organize resistance to the British...

...We were not connected with the British racially, religiously, or culturally...

...For the next ten minutes he bombarded me with questions about moral and spiritual education in American schools, pressing me insistently for texts which could be translated...

...Another is the fact that men who led the new group in Burma were younger than those in India, Pakistan, and Ceylon, and they had not had their training in England...

...I was struck by a deep sense of shame...

...So widespread was the unrest in the early months of Burma's independence that U Nu's government held only Rangoon and small parts of the country in 1949...

...And I was even more disturbed when he said that he wanted materials like Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, which he translated years ago into Burmese...

...I thought that was a humiliating thing to do and rebelled against it...

...The whole university went on strike to support me...

...He does not have the electric appeal of Nkrumah, although he has much of the same magic as Nkrumah in his ability to speak to the masses...

...Over the years the number of dissidents has declined...

...Some people have asked me if I didn't have a feeling that I was a man of destiny and that great forces were at work on me...

...In a world in which force is so predominant and the colorful, bombastic person catches the headlines of the world's newspapers and commands the television screen, U Nu seems a little out of place...

...But his answer reflected U Nu's basic philosophy—that a person (or a nation) can determine what he wants to do, discipline himself, and accomplish his aims...

...No, I never had that feeling...

...It showed more insight and vision than I had expected because other Burmese had emphasized land reform, agricultural improvement, industrialization, and social measures when questioned on the same point...

...U Nu is short and stocky, with close cropped hair turning gray in spots, a light tan complexion, and a virility which belies the pictures of him...

...No matter what happens to him politically in the future, in his first ten years as leader of the new Burma U Nu has already left a great legacy to his nation, to Southeast Asia, and to the world...

...And were there other influences in your life at this time...

...That he should see the training of personnel as the second most important dream was less easily explained...

...The principal had asked for proof that there was such an occasion and the boy had produced a letter from his sister which the principal refused as proof because it should have been from his mother...

...But that brings many evil consequences...

...Burma needs more technical know-how, technicians, and administrators...

...I was aware that he had tried to settled down to writing in his home town of Wakema but had been pressured by General Aung San into running for a seat in the Constituent Assembly, which was elected in 1947 to draft a constitution for the new Burma...

...And in recent months Communist tactics have changed to peaceful infiltration rather than open rebellion...

...When I arrived in Burma, I was told it would be impossible to see U Nu, as he was not in the capital city of Rangoon and all the seats on boats and airplanes to Moulmein had been reserved for weeks in anticipation of the approaching Water Festival holiday...

...This confirmed the story I had read and heard—that he had joined the independence movement for Burma in his student days and had become a leader in students' efforts to win more freedom for themselves and their nation...

...I expressed grave doubts as to whether that was the type of material needed or if the basic approach of that kind of book could possibly fall into the category of morals or ethics, but he hedged a bit by saying that he wanted materials which were well presented and full of illustrative material like that volume...

...I was in the University College at the time...

...He joined various independence movements and served as foreign minister under the puppet government at the time of the Japanese occupation of Burma during World War II...

...The various rebel groups could easily have overthrown the government in those early months had they been united...

...Dictatorship can shorten the time it takes to do these things...

...Perhaps it is because he represents the peace of mind we seek in the Western world, perhaps because he is a new type of politician who is at heart a philosopher and playwright rather than a lawyer or publicity hound—and perhaps it is because he represents the Buddhist's contemporary prototype in world affairs of "the good man...

...I was interested and concerned, but disturbed that he should feel such values could be developed merely by reading materials...

...Eager to find out what his aspirations were for Burma, I questioned U Nu on the changes he hoped to see in the next ten years...

...Unlike the other leaders I had met, he took the lead immediately by saying, "I understand you plan to write a book about world leaders...

...As for economic changes, it will take a long time to make basic changes...

...Adding the experience of the afternoon to all the other data I had collected, I again asked myself: how does he compare with Nehru, Ben Gurion, Nkrumah, and other African, Middle Eastern, and Asian leaders of our day...

...There were other points he might have added...

...When we got our independence the rebels were at the height of their power...

...These are even more important than money...

...and shook my hand vigorously was not the man I had expected to meet...

...They will not be able to hold out for ten years—not even three...

...U Nu's answer came readily, for I was talking with a man who is interested in people and is a philosopher as well as a politician and writer...

...But you could call the volume World Leaders and thus include him," U Nu maintained...

...If we earnestly yearn for the five qualities of right nationhood, which are good education, good health, good economic position, good character, and good fellowship among all races, we must exert our efforts with great courage, perseverance, and hopes, basing all our activities on the solid foundation of our mental faculties, material resources, and manpower...

...I hope you are planning to include Frank Buchman...

...But we thought we could be more independent outside the Commonwealth than in it...

...Actually, about 700 out of 2,000 students went on strike, but it was one of the early signs of U Nu's discontent and a forerunner of much more wide-spread support for ousting the British from Burma...

...The granting of a semi-autonomous state to the Karens, repeated overtures by U Nu, the realization that independence had been won, a desire to return to families and friends—these and other factors have played their part...

...I am not exaggerating when I say I cannot stand injustice—to anyone...

...He is a warm being, a cultured person, a good man...

...After the interview I reverted to my original question...

...I was president of the University of Rangoon student union at that time...

...But U Nu did not tell me that years later he made a point of visiting that same principal in England and apologizing for many of his actions while a student, demonstrating an outstanding characteristic of his—the ability to admit openly that he has made mistakes...

...This haunted me...

...I wanted to do what was good rather than what was bad...

...Shifting ground again, I asked him for his suggestions on what kind of education would prepare boys and girls in Burma, or the United States, or any other part of the world for life in the international community in the years ahead...

...But U Nu is Burmese, Asian, Buddhist, and his appeal must be measured in that frame of reference, by the cultural standards of Burma and Southeast Asia rather than those of the United States...

...Looking for other explanations of a motivation for overcoming a pretty sordid early life and remembering his keen interest in writing, I asked, "Had you started to write while still in your teens...

...For example, many students saluted the principal and the teachers...

...It was because we wanted to be independent," U Nu replied to my question on this point...

...He was dressed in the traditional and colorful Burmese costume...

...Carefully choosing his words, he said with great emphasis, "At the present time in most schools and colleges greater emphasis is laid on intellectual than on moral development...

...I had seen many photographs of his round and rather sweet face and cherubic smile...

...So I said I might be able to write on Buchman someday as a man who had affected many lives around the globe, but today I was interested in U Nu as a leader of Burma, of Asia, and of the world...

...I was a visitor from abroad with some experience in education, and U Nu displayed still another of his characteristics—curiosity...

...In a similar fashion he speaks of goals for the nation...

...If we were a dictatorship, we could bring pressure to bear on their families to bring them home, but this we will never do...

...But the man who stepped briskly out onto the porch LEONARD S. KENWORTHY, professor of Social Studies at Brooklyn College, recently completed an extensive swing through Asia and Africa where he interviewed the rulers of newly independent countries in preparation for writing a book on that subject...

...I wondered as I waited for him to appear if he really was the peer of men like Nehru, with whom he has been compared...

...It is now time that more attention be given to the development of character...

...I was not surprised that he stressed the rebellion within Burma for he has had to wrestle with this problem for ten years, and there are still rebel groups, guerrilla bands, and bandits at large in Burma...

...In place of shoes were the toe-thonged sandals of this part of the world...

...Yes," he said, "about the time I was 16...

...Whenever I saw moonlight, heard good music, looked at beautiful flowers, I had the urge to write...

...I caught my breath, swallowed a moment, determined not to be cornered in the first five seconds, and agreed that Buchman, the leader of the Moral Rearmament movement, was certainly a prominent figure in the world today but that I was writing on the political leaders of new nations and therefore couldn't include Buchman...

...He adheres firmly to a schedule of early morning periods of prayer and meditation, makes frequent pilgrimages and religious retreats...

...I had expected him to be strong, virile, popular, communicative, astute, and all the other adjectives that we would use to describe a top American leader...

...I shook with rage at this story, went to the principal's office myself within a few days with a similar request, and refused to show him any letter, saying, 'Why should I hand over to you a personal letter merely to show that I am telling the truth?' Then, at the annual meeting of students I denounced the principal and was expelled...

...Actually I did not touch it for seven years, from the age of 18 to 25...

...What a persistent person...

...In place of a western shirt he wore the ingyi, a short-waisted, long-sleeved, loose fitting jacket with an open collar...

...For example, Burma sends many scholars to England and the United States to study...

...Even in the turmoil of Burmese fractional politics and internal rebellions, he does not seem at ease...

...Is he really such a remarkable combination of "humanity, adroitness, and moral force...

...But he was not ready to let me go...

...He does not have the linguistic skill, the prophetic vision, or the flashes of insight which mark Ben Gurion, although the two men have much in common in their desire to foster the revival of two great world religions and to apply religious principles "in the market place...

...In place of trousers was the longyi, a long piece of cloth with a checkered pattern, wrapped around the waist and tied in front in a knot...

...The interview was over, and I was ready to thank him and leave...

...An example is his statement that "The beautiful edifice of a successful, useful, and happy life is built on five pillars, the strength of body, the strength of knowledge, the strength of morality, the strength of wealth, and the strength of friendship...

...So I planned, plotted, and persisted...

...When other people went to bed, I could not sleep...

...Then I failed...

...While I was in the University College I was incensed whenever I saw the British authorities deal with students unjustly...

...We desire to stick to democracy...

...Some might say that this is too simple an explanation...

...Through sheer will power," he replied immediately and forcefully...

...But visiting Burma on a tour of new nations and their leaders and not seeing U Nu would be like going to Paris on a sightseeing tour and missing the Eiffel Tower...

...But he keeps tugging away at the world's heartstrings in a quiet, humble, human way...

...One is the historic isolation of Burma, based in large part on its geographical position...

...Now they are at their lowest ebb...

...We will not use such tactics...

...But I had been baffled by why Burma had chosen not to join the British Commonwealth, the only colony of the post World War II period which had made this decision...

...Turning to the problems involved in training such men, he continued, "Of course if we were to turn into a dictatorship, we could do this faster...

...My first sight of U Nu startled me...

...I had known of U Nu's intense interest in religion in general, in the revival of Buddhism in particular, and in Moral Rearmament, but this tack I had not expected...

...Moreover, if we had stayed in the Commonwealth, the Communists in Burma would have said, 'See, we are not really free.' We emphasized this point with the British and they listened and did not press us...