Myanmar’s Christian-majority Chin
State is the poorest state in the country, with a poverty rate of 73%. A
history of political violence following the 1988 uprising and subsequent armed
rebellion between the government and the Chin National Army (CNA) has severely
disrupted economic growth, contributing to widespread poverty in the area.
Years of conflict have prevented
efficient government institutions from developing. The conflict disrupted the
economic growth of Chin communities, and led to violations of their basic human
rights. As a result, international funds and organisations were restricted in
practice from the roles that could have bolstered civil society. As a
consequence of weak and poorly funded government institutions, civil society
organisations (CSOs) have assumed a great deal of responsibility for social
welfare services and social protection of vulnerable groups in Chin State.
Consequently, church-related CSOs have assumed a great amount of responsibility
for social protection. These organisations are mainly connected to the
churches—the majority to the Baptist Church—but also some to the Roman Catholic
Church and a number of minor denominations. Many such CSOs link to ethnic armed
groups directly or indirectly. This environment is strongest in Chin State,
where the Baptist Church is predominant.
As my research on the ground has
shown, Chin State’s churches have grown crucially intertwined with the
processes of peacebuilding. Churches have grown to become a common platform for
legal and financial information. Seminars, workshops, and training are basic
initiatives of the church on a regular basis. Moreover, the church drives local
participation on particular projects such as social services, economic
development, and cultural development, which are significant to the democratic
political transformation in Myanmar. For instance, the church usually organises
public consultations in order to lobby the government in decision making
processes.
The church and affiliated
organisations also have a significant role in brokering peace in Myanmar.
Although the CNA is financially poor, it is rich in human resources, including
personnel who are highly educated. It thus makes a strong contribution to the
overall ethnic political movement. As Kachin, Karen, and Chin rebel groups are
mostly from Christian backgrounds, and most of the political leaders of these
groups are Christian, the Church may exercise some influence over them. As Dr
Hla Aung, Secretary General of the Global Chin Christian Fellowship outlines:
“Being
Christian, they are naturally open to and tolerant of the Christian worldview
and teaching. Whereas Christian teachings to live in peace with neighbours is
morally binding for the ethnic Christian leaders, the divine command to do
justice, recognising and respecting people’s rights and dignity also has a
powerful bearing on their political outlook and ideology. These two aspects of
Christian teaching underpin the political understanding and movement,
especially of ethnic political leaders.”
As political and economic
conditions worsened under military rule, church leaders took action to
ameliorate the situation. The Reconciliation and Tranquillity Committee, now
known as Chin Peace and Tranquillity Committee (CPTC), was founded on 23 July
1996 by 46 church leaders from the Hakha and Than Tlang townships. The meeting,
which took place at Hakha Baptist Association (HBA), endorsed three main
objectives for the birth of peace and democracy in Myanmar. These were to work
for peacebuilding in Chin State, to build peace by brokering as a mediator
between Chin National Force (CNF) and the government, and to instigate
political dialogue between the CNF and the government.
Church leaders aimed to target the
root causes of conflict between government and Chin armed groups through
reconciliation and institution building, as well as political dialogue. They
met with, and explained to, the armed insurgent leaders about the hard
conditions at home because of the conflict, and implored them to engage in
dialogue with the government. Being Christian, the armed movement leaders
respected the church leaders and took their requests seriously. After meeting
with the ethnic armed leaders, the church leaders approached the government and
asked them to hold dialogues with the ethnic armed leaders to work towards a
solution. The government and ethnic armed groups eventually held talks as the
result of the church leaders’ initiatives.
The success of these effects can be
felt through the years. The first ever summit between the CNF and military
government occurred at the border of Myanmar and Mizoram in March 2007, after
negotiating through the Church as a broker for peacebuilding. After the
political shift from the military government to “disciplined democracy”, the
new Thein Sein government called for peace talks in 2011. Churches (lead by
CPTC) lobbied for the CNF and government to meet each other, and hosted peace
talks between them three times in 2012. The three consecutive assemblies came
up with 51 agreement points in total. CNF signed the Union level Ceasefire
Agreement in November 2012, after the coordination of CTPC to seek democracy in
Myanmar. Both sides of the CNF and the government agreed to have the CPTC work
as part of the ceasefire monitoring program.
The role of the Church in
peacebuilding is not over yet. It is ongoing and crucial. It is even more
significant for the current peace process because the church provides a social
platform for both sides. Ethnic armed groups need to meet with the people to
seek public opinion, and it is the church institution that provides the spaces
for such meetings. Mostly, church leaders and church institutions conduct
workshops, seminars, and forums on peace and democracy, in order to widely
disseminate democratic ideas among the ordinary people and to foster peace and
democracy in the country through conscious participation and commitment by the
public. Even the most recent Chin national level dialogue on the substance of
the “seven road map” of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, for instance, was
hosted by the Church institutions in Than Tlang town. 652 leaders attended the
dialogue to discuss the Chins’ politics, economy, and land and environment
issues to submit at the Union Peace Conference/21st Century Panglong
Conference.
It is clear the church sees
political reform and peacebuilding processes as part of its concern. The church
played a key brokerage role for the current political transformation to
democracy in Myanmar. Local people are consulted and involved in peacebuilding
processes in many forms. Leaders from Chin armed groups are Christian,
therefore church leaders have legitimacy in the public’s eyes. At the same
time, the churches are the main places where political leaders can hold public
consultation in Chin state. The role of the church to current political
conditions, and coming processes of peacebuilding in Chin state, will be
significant as long as people there are influenced by their religion.