Leading in 21st Century

1. Aung San Suu Kyi
“The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom
from fear.”

2. Who is she?

3. State Counsellor of Myanmar
FIRST woman to serve as Minister for Foreign Affairs, for the President's
Office, for Electric Power and Energy, and for Education.
Author
Diplomat
Nobel
Peace
Prize
winner
BRIEF INTRODUCTION

4. WHO IS SHE?
• A.K.A Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
• Daughter of Aung San ( Founder of Communist
Party of Burma)- helped gain independence of
Burma from British ruling
• born on 19 June 1945 in Rangoon (now Yangon),
British Burma.
• Is a Theravada Buddhist
• Lived and studied in India until college
• Has a degree in B.A in Philosophy, Politics and
Economics in University of Oxford
• married to Dr. Micheal Aris and gave birth to
two children

5. She is a civilian leader in Myanmar
who bravely spoke up against the
brutal ruling of dictator U Ne Win
Initiated a non-violent move towards
achieving democracy and human
rights
unwavering campaigner for
democracy in her country
THE LADY OF NO FEAR

6. Her life to her people’s leader

7. 1988
Return to Myanmar, Co-founds the National League for
Democracy (NLD)
1989-2010
Under house arrest, on Nov 13 2010, Junta releases Suu Kyi
from house arrest
1991
Wins Nobel Peace Prize but unable to collect award in person as she
still remains under house arrest.
2011
Thein Sein and Aung San Suu Kyi meet for the first time
2012
Wins seat in parliament
2015
NDP won the election
2016
Aung San Suu Kyi is nominated to join Myanmar's new cabinet
Timeline: The life of Aung San Suu Kyi

8. Aung San Suu Kyi returns to
Ranggoon, Burma.
April 1988-Aug 1988
● Left London, her husband and two sons to care for her sickly
mother.
● General Ne Win, military head of Burman resigned.
● 8888 Uprising - Mass demonstrations for democracy were held -
thousands killed

9. First public speech in front of
150,000 - call for the formation of a
multi-party democratic government
26 August 1988
“Democracy is the only ideology to achieve freedom.
It is also a symbol of peace and strength.
It is therefore the only ideology we people of Burma should AIM for!”

10. Co-founder of National League
for Democracy (NLD)
September 1988
● The governing party of Myanmar, democratic socialist and liberal democratic political party
● Influenced by Mahatma Ghandi and Buddhist concepts on non-violence
● Supporter of human rights, the rule of law, national reconciliation

11. House arrest for 15 years
● Arrested after being claimed for attempt to divide military
● During arrest, her husband, Michael Aris, passed away from cancer, without saying final
goodbye.
● Arrested thrice, there was even an extension
● 2010 - NLD disqualified, refused to register for election
● 2010 - Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest!
1989 - 2010

12. Nobel peace prize winner
1991
● Awarded for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights.
● This included hunger strikes in an attempt to reduce military violence for her people
● Her husband and sons represented her in receiving the award, her eldest son Alex
delivered the speech on her behalf.

13. Won the general election
● 2011 - NLD is granted permission to register for election.
● 2012 - Aung San Suu Kyi stood in for parliament. She and the NLD won by a landslide
victory.
● May 2 2012 - Aung San Suu Kyi is sworn into parliament!
● 2015 - Ruling party USDP (Union Solidarity and Development) lost to NLD. NLD won 80%
of the seats.
● 2016 - Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD stood as a majority in the parliament.
2011 - 2016

14. State counsellor of Myanmar
● Nominated to join the new cabinet
● Minister for President’s Office, foreign affairs, electric power and energy, and
education.
2016

15. The Philosophy behind
Her Leadership

16. My religion is based on
truth and non-violence.
Truth is my God.
Non-violence is the means of realising
Him.

17. From the very beginning, her struggle for democracy has been
nonviolent and peaceful.
It was through Mohandas Ghandi’s writings that she realized the
true essence of
ahimsa, non-violence and the importance of overcoming fear.
Ahimsa under Hinduism =
war must be avoided, with sincere and truthful dialogue. Force
must be the last resort.
She leads through understanding, negotiation and agreeing to
disagree
to bring harmony between parties.

18. Her Leadership Traits

19. A FEARLESS FEMALE CIVILIAN THAT
FIGHTS FOR DEMOCRACY & HUMAN
RIGHTS.
Her courage is clearly portrayed in her defiance
against the brutal and unresponsive rule of
military strongman U Ne Win under military
tyranny.
Despite being put into arrest for THREE times
that lasted for 15 years in the period of 21 years,
she still chose to stand up for the people of
Myanmar.
COURAGE

20. “THE ONLY REAL PRISON IS FEAR,
AND THE ONLY REAL FREEDOM IS
FREEDOM FROM FEAR.”
House arrests with cruel privations and
incommunicado,
new election laws designed to prevent Suu Kyi from
participating in multiparty parliamentary elections, yet
she embraced them for the sake of the human rights for
the people in her country.
COURAGE

21. SHE COULD HAVE
CHOSEN TO LEAD A
PEACEFUL AND QUIET
LIVE; BUT SHE DIDN’T.
"As a mother, the greater sacrifice
was giving up my sons, but i was
always aware of the fact that others
had given up more than me”. I never
forget that my colleagues who are in
prison suffer not only physically, but
mentally for their families who have
no security outside - in the larger
prison of Burma under authoritarian
rule."
SELFLESSNESS

22. TO LEAVE
AND NEVER RETURN
OR
TO STAY?
During her 2nd house arrest, when
she was released from the sentence,
she was still restricted to step out
Yangon.
At that period her husband was dying
of cancer, and his visa application to
visit her was denied by the
government. She, knowing that she
wouldn’t be able to return to
Myanmar if she flew to see her
husband, chose to stay in Yangon.
SELFLESSNESS

23. DETERMINATION
SHE FOUGHT FOR WHAT SHE
BELIEVED IN.
"I don't believe in people just hoping.
We work for what we want.
I always say that one has no right to hope without
endeavour, so we work to try and bring about the
situation that is necessary for the country,
and we are confident that we will get to the
negotiation table at one time or another."

24. DETERMINATION
BEEN THROUGH DIFFICULTIES
WHICH DIDN’T STOP HER.
"I always think challenges are interesting and help you to
become a better person."
- Au San Suu Kyi

25. Skilled communicator, able to communicate with followers
on a deep and emotional way.
Aung San Suu Kyi adopted
the “people-oriented leadership style”.
Inspire her followers to meet certain goals by motivating them.
CHARISMATIC

26. How did she become a people-oriented leader?
● Integrate Buddhism values and western democratic ideals
● Her assertiveness and positivity in giving speeches gained people’s trust
Why did people follow her?
● Her followers trust and support her because she is their only hope towards
achieving democracy.
● The Burmese people craved for a change as they share the same belief.
“There is a vast difference in the attitude of a man with a gun in his hand and that of
one without a gun in his hand.”
CHARISMATIC

27. PRAGMATIC
Definition : Dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that
is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.
MAKING THE RIGHT
DECISION FOR THE
PEOPLE & making idealism pragmatic
Aung San Suu Kyi attracted investments to Myanmar
instead of collecting taxes from the people that is
already having financial problems without having the
custom of paying taxes.

28. Her Vision

29. “When men doesn’t have a gun in hand, he
tries harder to use his mind,
sense of compassion and intelligence
to work out a solution.”

30. VISION
"I want the people to be
more empowered and I want them to feel more
empowered," Suu Kyi said.
"I want them to feel that it is they who will
decide what the destiny of the country is;
that they will have the proper means to shape the destiny
of the country."
Rights to vote, voice out and to decide who
their leader should be.
DREAM OF DEMOCRACY,
PEACE AND FREEDOM.

31. Conclusion
She is a champion of peace and democracy,
using pacifist methods while
not giving in to pressure and hardships
for the Burmese people.

32. THANK YOU!

33. Vision
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/18/myanmar.suu.kyi.interview/index.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2010/jun/17/aung-san-suu-kyi-photographs
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/burma-election-aung-san-suu-kyi-heads-burmas-dreams-of-democracy-a6717246.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/13/myanmar.suu.kyi.profile/index.html
Timeline
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/02/timeline-the-life-of-aung-san-suu-kyi2/
Reference Links