Aung San (1915–1947)

Aung San, the father of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the movement for democracy against the present Burma's military junta, was a Burmese revolutionary fighting British capitalism and Japanese fascism. Born to a family descendent of a Burmese patriot beheaded by the British, as a child, Aung San's dream was to rebel against the British. He grew up a committed nationalist leader obsessed with a single goal: independence for Burma. His dedication to the cause earned him the title, “the architect of Burma's freedom.”

Attending the national high school established by the Burmese nationalists strengthened Aung San's deep-rooted nationalist sentiment. During this period, the teenager Aung San joined the student union and urged his fellow students to take an interest in the country's affairs and work toward freedom from British bondage.

Aung San started his political apprenticeship during his university years from 1932 to 1938. Choosing political science and history as his specialization, Aung San read a variety of political ideologies (including that of Karl Marx) and constantly sought for opportunities to share his knowledge and thoughts. Soon he found his political platform at the debates and seminars organized by the Rangoon University Student Union (RUSU). The debates were held in English, the language that Aung San was still struggling to master at the time. However, whenever time was given to the audience, Aung San always rose from his seat to talk. For his clumsy English, the audience booed and yelled him to stop, but Aung San would continue his speech until he finished. Such uncommon courage in these debates earned him the title “crazy Aung San.” In 1936, Aung San was assigned the editorship of Oway, the RUSU magazine, while he was also writing articles for other magazines and newspapers. His initial success came with the change of his reputation from “crazy” Aung San to “editor” Aung San.

The university strike of 1936 was the major turning point in Aung San's political life. A series of students' dissatisfactions led to the strike, but what ignited the fire was the expulsion of the editor Aung San from school due to his refusal to reveal the identity of the author of an article, “A Hell Hound at Large,” that appeared in Oway attacking a university official.

With the name “Aung San” repeatedly appearing in the daily newspaper during the strike, he came to be regarded as the future leader of the country. Aung San helped maneuver the student movements into the forefront of national politics. He became the vice president of the RUSU in 1936 and president of both RUSU and the All Burma Student Union in 1938. In October 1938, Aung San joined the Dobama Asi Ayon (DAA), or Thakin organization, a political organization led by the older nationalist leaders who encouraged the 1936 student strike. Although the common goal was to obtain the independence of Burma, these leaders were divided into factions. When Aung San became the general secretary of DAA, he called for unity under DAA. With the formation of a mass base of workers, peasants, students, and even monks, DAA played a crucial role during the Revolution of 1300.

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