The Verge

The fight for justice and freedom in Myanmar is still going strong in 2024. But what does it mean for the smart generation of this country?

You’re listening to Voice of Sayar Henry podcast, and this is episode number 66. 

Welcome to the show!

[Intro Music]

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, this is your host Sayar Henry, and I am back with a brand-new episode. I am really glad to have a chance to talk to you again on my podcast. After all, we are still in the first quarter of 2024, and this is my first English episode of the year. As I was writing script for this episode, I remembered how long ago it was when I wrote the script for my last episode in English, which was titled as “Let There Be Pain”. 

Oh my god, it has been almost 5 months. That’s a long time!

Anyway, since I am here now, let’s make this one of our meaningful hangout moments, shall we?

So, you might be wondering what I have in store for you in this episode. Well, I’m glad you are curious enough to tune in to my voice right now. In this episode, I’m going to share with you my point of view about something important for the country you and I love. And NO, I have never talked about this anywhere else before. The reason I’ve decided to share this with you is because there has been a surge of demotivated young people in Myanmar after a concerning news emerged in February.

Well, if you’re not entirely clueless about what is going on in this struggling-and-fighting-for-democracy country known as Myanmar, you know the news I’m referring to. Yes, we’re talking about the conscription!

[Episode Theme Music]

In the first week of February, the military junta announced that they have reactivated the People’s Military Service Law of 2010, which means citizens between age 18-35 for males and 18-27 for females are now subject to mandatory military service for the junta. And this is more than just an attempt to address recruitment challenges they have been facing. They also wanted to make people of all ages miserable if possible. So, the junta included males and females up to age 45 and 35 respectively as eligible for conscription too if they are “educated” and “professional”.

Now, the only remaining demographic who may not be enlisted are children under 18, and adults over 45. But even then, if you’re under 18, you know your teenager years are going to expire very soon because of what is awaiting. And if you’re over 45, your mind won’t be at ease too because your first child may already be at risk of being called up to serve. So, no parents and kids are free from this concern.  

The conscription would not be a problem if people are being mandated to serve the military or the government of their choice. After all, the people of Myanmar are no cowards. They can be brave in many ways, and they have proved it time and time again since the military coup happened in 2021. However, this conscription is activated by the junta who the people don’t want to fight for, causing a great deal of turmoil for young people in the country.

So apparently, the people of Myanmar, especially those in their 20s and early 30s, are left with only two options: join the freedom fighters and the revolution forces across the country or escape to another country and stay there by any means possible, for as long as they possibly can.

Now, this is quite a problematic situation for many ordinary families. If you are eligible for conscription and thus wish to flee overseas, you have to start primarily with two big questions. 

(A) How are you going to stay legally in a different country for years? 
(B) How are you going to make money to pay the bills and live a life there? 

Well, if you and your family have enough money, which I believe would be in the minority, or you have impressive academic performances and somehow stand out high enough in the competition to get a scholarship, you can go abroad to study and can postpone the service for a few years. But remember, your life there is also on a lease. If, after your studies, you still can’t land a job that can let you work there legally in the long run, you are not safe. Of course, your job prospect might be better after your studies, but don’t forget, competition is everywhere.

On the other side, if studying abroad is not an option for you, the only path you have is to get an oversea job right away. This may sound promising if you already have a solid career or work experience in Myanmar, but that’s not likely if you are in your early 20s. And because this would be the case for the majority, this leads to a generation of people leaving the country for minimum-wage jobs or unskilled labor in foreign countries for a significant portion of their lives. 

Now, considering what has been going on in Myanmar in the past 3 years including the recent activation of the conscription, leaving the country does sound reasonable if you take an individual perspective. After all, what is the point of living in a country that is being ruled by the government that didn’t respect your vote and voice, right? 

But on the other hand, if you think collectively, you can see that this is leading to a dangerous decline in the country’s human capital and talent pool. We also need to realize that this is too much of a loss for a small country like ours, and that a loss of young and smart generation will result in drastic consequences and unprecedented repercussions that we don’t want to deal with.

Allow me to paint a picture for you.

In the last 3 years or so, a sizeable proportion of Generation Z had become freedom fighters and joined the revolution forces across the country. Out of the remaining population, many millennials and younger professionals have already migrated to foreign countries due to uncertain political circumstances and inflation. And now, even more people are going to leave the country to escape from conscription. 

Imagine the sheer volume of young people disappearing from Myanmar, year after year, if this war keeps going on. Before long, Myanmar is going to be a country without a smart generation. And guess what, a country without a smart generation is only as good as North Korea. And I’m afraid that what will remain in the country might not be meaningful enough for the revolution forces to fight for.  

The thing is, worrying about the conscription and leaving the country to avoid it is all reasonable and acceptable, of course.

But ending this war is disproportionately more important for you, and for everyone you care about in this country. 

So, my friends, please remember that we have a home to save. Even if you decide to leave your home now for whatever reasons, please don’t stop caring about it. Because, if you stop caring, one day, you may no longer have a home to return to.

And that’s the message I have for Myanmar citizens all over the world. Thank you so much for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode. Goodbye, and good luck to us all.