“It is the people who have power”

Jessica’s note: Because of internet-connectivity issues, this interview was conducted over several weeks via text on WhatsApp. “Noel HK” is the pseudonym of one of thousands of government workers in Myanmar who left her position in the capital, Naypyidaw, in protest against the junta’s actions following the military coup on February 2, 2021. Along with other professionals, these government workers have joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in a national strike. The current CDM began with a Facebook post made by a group of doctors who disagreed with the military’s decision to take over the country. The group’s statement went viral, and soon bankers, lawyers, teachers and health care workers, among many other professionals, had joined the movement in refusing to return to work under the Tatmadaw. Though it’s impossible to know how many are participating in CDM, people from all walks of life across the country are joining in the peaceful protest. For government workers, the risks are especially high—not only have they given up stable jobs and good salaries, but the ruling junta, known for imprisoning, torturing, and killing dissidents, knows where they live and how to find them. And yet Noel HK and others bravely refuse to work as long as the authoritarian government remains in power. In March, the members of Myanmar’s Civil Disobedience Movement were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. In order to protect Noel HK and her family, we have hidden some identifying details, including the name of her home state.

I am a civil service employee, the daughter of a civil service employee. It was not my dream to work for the government of Myanmar like my father. In college, I studied English. After I graduated, I went to live with a cousin in Yangon and began a career working with international corporations. But in 2015, a new government was elected, and I went to work for them in 2018.

I worked in the Central Statistical Organization. We gathered secondary data from the government sector and private sector, and sometimes we did surveys; we published statistics about what was happening in the country. For example, because of my data-gathering, I know at least 3,131 people died of Covid in Myanmar before January 31, 2021. After the coup in February, I think the government stopped recording that data. I have no idea how many people have died in the whole country. Every day in my hometown, out of a population of 400,000, ten to thirty people die of Covid-19.

I keep record myself. There is a list of deaths due to Covid-19 in my region every day during the month of July. So far this month, 471 people have passed away. From morning to evening, people line up to get their oxygen cylinders. There is a national shortage of oxygen. It is very scary. It is hard to know which is scarier: Covid or the Tatmadaw.

I had a lot of friends in the Central Statistical Organization. Of the 250 people in my office, sixty-four are participating in CDM. That means we have stopped going to work because we cannot accept the coup. We already had an elected government; I left my previous career path in international corporations because my mom asked me to work for the new civil government. She thought it would be a stable job, like it was for my father. My father died while I was at university; after he died, all of my siblings became civil servants. I was the last one.

At first, I went into this career to please my mother. But as I worked in the government sector, I started to dream about what I could do for my country. I want to do development work for my home state, which is one of the least developed states in Myanmar. Since the poverty rate in my state is higher than other states and regions, poverty reduction would be especially important. The people in my state are now striving their utmost, but they are facing inadequate economic infrastructure, such as electricity, transportation, communications, and the banking system. Right now, we have lower government expenditure in the education and health sectors. There is a shortage of teachers, especially in the primary and secondary schools. That leads to a high dropout rate. Most of our roads are made of dirt, so it is not convenient for travel in the rainy season. But in my job, I learned that some earth roads can be upgraded to metaled roads, and those can be upgraded to bituminous roads. We’ve faced many natural disasters. We’ve been in a civil war for decades. Now we are suffering because of the coup and the pandemic.

I want to play a part in improving things for the people of my state and region. Before the coup, I had very big dreams; I knew it would not be easy to do, and I was not sure of the best place to start. I knew I needed a lot more education and access to further studies. But still, I wanted to follow my dreams. I wanted to be promoted. I hoped someday I could be a policymaker to help my people. I was hopeful that better things were coming for Myanmar. But when the coup occurred, our future and our hope were devastated.

Now we are suffering because of the coup and the pandemic.

I am proud that my siblings have also joined the CDM. They no longer go to their government jobs either. This is a very tough time for our family. We all moved home and are living without any salaries. But we cannot work for the military regime.

I am sad that some of my friends and senior managers remained in their jobs. If we all participated in the CDM, then hopefully the junta government would no longer run. They cannot function without government workers. I believe civil disobedience will play an essential role in ending the dictatorship.

I did not know about civil disobedience before the coup. I did not know much about politics; I still don’t. But one thing I truly understand is what our leader said before: People are the key. It is not the government that has power; it is the people who have power. I now see that civil disobedience and peaceful protests are the most powerful response to the Tatmadaw.

Many young people join the CDM to learn to fight. They are currently being trained in how to resist the junta. But I do not want to fight. Instead, I am using this time to take more classes. I want to learn further about development studies.

Taking classes during this time is very difficult. I cannot focus on the classes intensely because of what I see and the news that I hear about every day. But I think that instead of dwelling on negative news, furthering my education is what I can do. I joined some classes online because I believe this tough time will end one day, and I must be ready to be the best person I can be to serve my country.

I grew up hearing stories from my parents about what it was like in the past for Myanmar. They told me how inhumane the junta was. At the time, it was very difficult for me to believe it. I had not yet been born when the 1988 uprising took place, when students led the revolution against the junta on August 8: 8/8/88.

Now, I have seen for myself. They are more than inhumane. They kill us like animals. They torture us. We hear gunshots at night. In the morning, we learn how many people are dead, from the Tatmadaw or from Covid.

I am really afraid.

We want the military regime in Myanmar to disappear. I have some hope now because we, the Myanmar people, are really united in protesting and fighting the military junta. 50 million out of 53 million people do not support this government. We want to start a new one. We want to be free.

Please, support our new government, the National Unity Government.

We need your help till we are free.

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