{"id":7223,"date":"2026-08-06T07:05:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T07:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/?p=7223"},"modified":"2026-08-06T09:12:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T09:12:06","slug":"divide-and-rule-a-legacy-we-must-confront","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/2026\/08\/06\/divide-and-rule-a-legacy-we-must-confront\/","title":{"rendered":"Divide and Rule: A Legacy We Must Confront"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are familiar with the term <strong>divide and conquer<\/strong>, a tactic perfected by both the <strong>Roman Empire<\/strong> and the <strong>British Empire<\/strong>. To maintain power and control, rulers turned communities against one another, exploiting differences in religion, language, or caste. They understood that a united people could resist oppression; division was their most effective weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This strategy, though subtle, is devastating. It creeps into society so quietly that we often fail to recognize it until it has already taken root. The mechanics are predictable:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Creating divisions<\/strong> among subjects to prevent alliances.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Promoting collaborators<\/strong> willing to serve the sovereign.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fostering distrust<\/strong> between local rulers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Encouraging wasteful expenditures<\/strong> to weaken political and military strength.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Colonial Examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In <strong>Sri Lanka<\/strong>, the British required race to be indicated on official documents, institutionalizing identity politics. Favoring Tamils in education and administration sowed resentment among Sinhalese, laying the groundwork for later ethnic conflict.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In <strong>India<\/strong>, the British introduced separate electorates in 1909, embedding religion into politics. The <strong>partition of Bengal (1905)<\/strong> and later the <strong>partition of India (1947)<\/strong> were direct consequences of divide-and-rule policies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In <strong>Myanmar<\/strong>, the British censuses documented <strong>languages, not races<\/strong>. The <strong>1911 census listed 65 languages<\/strong>, and the <strong>1931 census listed 135 languages<\/strong>. These linguistic surveys were later distorted into \u201cethnic lists\u201d by military regimes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Post-Colonial Manipulation in Myanmar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After independence, successive governments manipulated identity for political ends:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>1972 \u2013 144 Ethnic Groups<\/strong>: The Ministry of Home and Religious Affairs issued a list that included Muslim groups such as Pathi, Rohingya, Myedu, Pashu (Malay), and Panthay (Chinese Muslims).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>1983 Martial Law<\/strong>: Ne Win\u2019s regime removed many Muslim groups from recognition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>1989 \u2013 135 Ethnic Groups<\/strong>: Vice-Senior General Saw Maung announced the infamous \u201c135 races\u201d list. This was not based on anthropology but numerology (1+3+5=9, a number favored by military astrologers).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Later \u201c101 Ethnic Groups\u201d<\/strong>: Officials like U Khin Yi and U Tin Aye cited \u201c101\u201d without explanation, further erasing communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Divisions Since Ne Win<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The manipulation did not stop at numbers. Under Ne Win and later regimes, citizens were categorized into degrading labels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Host citizens<\/strong> \u2013 recognized \u201cnational races.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Visitor citizens<\/strong> \u2013 migrants tolerated but not fully accepted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mixed blooded<\/strong> \u2013 those of intermarriage, often stigmatized.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kalars<\/strong> \u2013 a derogatory term for Muslims and South Asians.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kalar Dains<\/strong> \u2013 mixed Muslim descendants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bin Gali<\/strong> \u2013 a term popularized by President Thein Sein to refer to Rohingyas, echoing colonial \u201cBengali\u201d labeling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muslims were forced to register in national IDs as <strong>Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani<\/strong>, etc., denying them recognition as Burmese. This is a continuation of divide-and-rule logic: stripping identity to weaken unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why We Fail to See Ourselves as Burmese<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It puzzles me that we rarely identify simply as Burmese. Instead, we cling to labels\u2014Bamar, Shan, Kachin, Chin, Mon, Chinese, Indian, Muslim. These divisions were implanted into our system over decades, reinforced by censuses, propaganda, and discriminatory laws. From childhood, our minds have been tempered and manipulated to see difference rather than unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But this is our homeland. We were born here. Our rights belong here. We should not have to seek acceptance abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Call for Equal Rights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is not about special rights\u2014it is about <strong>equal rights<\/strong>. My friends and I, of diverse race, religion, gender, and background, have been able to discuss everything under the sun without hate. We love and respect each other for who we are. Why can\u2019t the nation do the same?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I remember chanting in school:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kabar Ma Kyae<br>Bamar Pyae<br>Darr Doe\u2019 Pye<br>Darr Doe\u2019 Myae<br>Doe\u2019 Paine Dae\u2019 Myaee<br>Doe\u2019 Pye<br>Doe\u2019 Myae\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We recited these words in full spirit, yet all the while we were being separated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government is supposed to be the people\u2019s government, not the government\u2019s people. As diverse as we are, let us unite. Let us reject the extremists, autocrats, and dictators who thrive on division. Only by embracing each other as Burmese\u2014beyond race, religion, or origin\u2014can we demand equal rights and build a future of mutual respect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We are familiar with the term divide and conquer, a tactic perfected by both the Roman Empire and the British Empire. To maintain power and control, rulers turned communities against one another, exploiting differences in religion, language, or caste. They understood that a united people could resist oppression; division was their most effective weapon. This [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7224,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,6,133,130,123],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-history","category-human-rights-constitution-federal-democracy-social-nets-minority-rights","category-motivation","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7223"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7225,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7223\/revisions\/7225"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}