Aung Ko. From topnews.inThe Burmese minister for religious affairs, Aung Ko, has rejected calls for his resignation by hardline nationalists amidst accusations that he is favoring Islam. Aung Ko stated that Buddhism needed purification, appearing to refer to the Buddhist nationalist group Ma Ba Tha.
“My position is not appointed by [the protesters], but by the leader democratically elected by the people. I’ve no reason to resign at their demand,” Aung Ko told reporters. He said that the accusations of the protesters were baseless and that he would be filing lawsuits against them. (The Irrawaddy) “Evidence is necessary to show that I favored Islam. You need evidence,” he said. (Myanmar Times)
The Buddhist country has been embroiled in a spat between the government-supported State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee (Ma Ha Na), the official Buddhist organ of Myanmar, and hardline group Ma Ba Tha (also known as the Association to Protect Race and Religion). For the past several years, Ma Ba Tha has fiercely condemned the Muslim Rohingya minority in Myanmar with inflammatory rhetoric, although it claims to be innocent of inciting violence against Muslims. Since 2012, incidents of property damage, beatings, and killings between the Rohingya (who are officially stateless) and Burmese-majority people have been reported in international and Burmese media.
In March after a long period of inaction, the Ma Ha Na moved against Ma Ba Tha, implementing a nationwide, one-year preaching ban on Ma Ba Tha leader and ultranationalist Ashin Wirathu on the grounds that he was promoting hate speech. On 23 May, the Ma Ha Na declared that Ma Ba Tha was an unofficial organization and that all signboards referring to the latter had to be removed by 15 July. The order also imposed strict restrictions on Ma Ba Tha members, prohibiting them from using the name Ma Ba Tha individually or in groups.
In May hundreds of nationalists, including a large group of monks from across the nation, held a protest in the city of Naypyitaw, ostensibly because the government was not doing enough to support Buddhism and being biased towards Muslims. Among the demands of the nationalists was Wirathu’s call for Aung Ko to step down. Another was the lifting the ban on Wirathu’s preaching. They held another rally again in Yangon and Mandalay on 25 June as the government did not concede any ground.
Aung Ko has shown no interest in conceding to Ma Ba Tha, claiming instead that his ministry was now drafting plans to “take action” against those who claimed to act in the name of Buddhism but were not following the religion’s doctrine, without the approval of the government and Ma Ha Na. “People and [Buddhist] monks have pointed out that it is high time Buddhism be purified,” he said. “We’ll take action with the authority of executive and Dhamma authorities for healthy perpetuation of the religion.” (The Irrawaddy)
Tint Lwin, one of the organizers of the recent protests, said nationalists were planning more demonstrations, including a sit-in at Yangon City Hall. “He [Aung Ko] has not made any response [to our demands] and he is acting like an authoritarian. This is disrespectful to the people. We’re not insulting the government, we are just pointing out the fault of the ministry,” he stated.
See more
Religion Minister Rejects Nationalists’ Criticism, Intends to ‘Purify’ Buddhism in Myanmar (The Irrawaddy)
I will not quit: Thura U Aung Ko (Myanmar Times)
Nationalists demand minister’s resignation (Myanmar Times)
Protesters Demand Apology From Religious Affairs Minister, Release of Nationalists (The Irrawaddy)
