DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI: I would like to say how happy I am to receive President Obama
in my country and in my house.
The friendship between our two countries is of long standing.
The United States has been staunch in its support of the democracy movement in Burma,
and we are confident that this support will continue through the difficult years that
lie ahead.
I say difficult because the most difficult time in any transition is when we think that
success is in sight.
Then we have to be very careful that we are not lured by a mirage of success and that
we are working to a genuine success for our people and for the friendship between our
two countries.
I believe that we have been able to discuss our various concerns openly, and that as a
result of the President’s visit to this country, the relations between our countries
can only progress in the right direction.
I intend fully to keep in touch with the United States government as far as possible, and
to make sure that we always liaise one another on the most important matters.
Now, I’m told I have three minutes, and I think this is about three minutes.
So thank you all for coming.
And I leave the floor to President Obama.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, I’ll try to be pretty brief, although not as eloquent.
I was honored to be the first President to welcome Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to the White
House.
I’m proud to be the first American President to visit this spectacular country, and I am
very pleased that one of my first stops is to visit with an icon of democracy who has
inspired so many people not just in this country but all around the world.
I especially want to thank Aung San Suu Kyi for welcoming me to her home.
Here, through so many difficult years, is where she displayed such unbreakable courage
and determination.
It’s here where she showed that human freedom and dignity cannot be denied.
Today marks the next step in a new chapter between the United States and Burma.
Last year, in response to early flickers of reform, I asked Secretary Clinton to visit
this country and explore with Aung San Suu Kyi and the government whether the United
States could empower reform efforts and begin a new relationship between our peoples.
In the year since, we’ve seen some very encouraging progress, including Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi’s release and election to Parliament; the release of political prisoners; the lifting
of restrictions on the press; and new laws to expand labor rights and eliminate the use
of child soldiers.
And at my direction, the United States has responded to support these reforms, including
the easing of sanctions.
Now, as a former legislator myself, I followed your role in the new Parliament with interest
and admiration.
Real democracy involves having different branches of government check and balance each other,
and I applaud your efforts in that regard, particularly as the head of the committee
of the rule of law.
In my discussions here in Yangon, our goal is to sustain the momentum for democratization.
That includes building credible government institutions, establishing rule of law, ending
ethnic conflicts, and ensuring that the people of this country have access to greater education,
health care, and economic opportunity.
And I want to make a pledge to the people of this country that I am confident we can
keep, and that is if we see continued progress towards reform, our bilateral ties will grow
stronger and we will do everything we can to help ensure success.
I'm so happy, by the way, to be joined by Secretary Clinton.
This is her last foreign trip that we're going to take together, and it is fitting that we
have come here to a country that she has done so much to support.
Where did Hillary go?
Where is she?
There she is.
(Applause.)
I could not be more grateful, not only for your service, Hillary, but also for the powerful
message that you and Aung San Suu Kyi send about the importance of women and men everywhere
embracing and promoting democratic values and human rights.
So again, I want to thank you, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, for your extraordinary hospitality
and grace; the power of your example, which has been an inspiration to people all around
the world, including myself.
Clearly, you will be playing a key role in your country's future for many years to come
as Burma seeks the freedom and the prosperity and the dignity that not only the people of
this country deserve but people all around the world deserve.
So thank you for your inspiring message.
(Applause.)
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you.
(Applause.)
Myanmar Naingan, Mingalaba!
(Laughter and applause.)
I am very honored to be here at this university and to be the first President of the United
States of America to visit your country.
I came here because of the importance of your country.
You live at the crossroads of East and South Asia.
You border the most populated nations on the planet.
You have a history that reaches back thousands of years, and the ability to help determine
the destiny of the fastest growing region of the world.
I came here because of the beauty and diversity of your country.
I have seen just earlier today the golden stupa of Shwedagon, and have been moved by
the timeless idea of metta -- the belief that our time on this Earth can be defined by tolerance
and by love.
And I know this land reaches from the crowded neighborhoods of this old city to the homes
of more than 60,000 villages; from the peaks of the Himalayas, the forests of Karen State,
to the banks of the Irrawady River.
I came here because of my respect for this university.
It was here at this school where opposition to colonial rule first took hold.
It was here that Aung San edited a magazine before leading an independence movement.
It was here that U Thant learned the ways of the world before guiding it at the United
Nations.
Here, scholarship thrived during the last century and students demanded their basic
human rights.
Now, your Parliament has at last passed a resolution to revitalize this university and
it must reclaim its greatness, because the future of this country will be determined
by the education of its youth.
I came here because of the history between our two countries.
A century ago, American traders, merchants and missionaries came here to build bonds
of faith and commerce and friendship.
And from within these borders in World War II, our pilots flew into China and many of
our troops gave their lives.
Both of our nations emerged from the British Empire, and the United States was among the
first countries to recognize an independent Union of Burma.
We were proud to found an American Center in Rangoon and to build exchanges with schools
like this one.
And through decades of differences, Americans have been united in their affection for this
country and its people.
Above all, I came here because of America’s belief in human dignity.
Over the last several decades, our two countries became strangers.
But today, I can tell you that we always remained hopeful about the people of this country,
about you.
You gave us hope and we bore witness to your courage.
We saw the activists dressed in white visit the families of political prisoners on Sundays
and monks dressed in saffron protesting peacefully in the streets.
We learned of ordinary people who organized relief teams to respond to a cyclone, and
heard the voices of students and the beats of hip-hop artists projecting the sound of
freedom.
We came to know exiles and refugees who never lost touch with their families or their ancestral
home.
And we were inspired by the fierce dignity of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as she proved that
no human being can truly be imprisoned if hope burns in your heart.
When I took office as President, I sent a message to those governments who ruled by
fear.
I said, in my inauguration address, “We will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench
your fist.”
And over the last year and a half, a dramatic transition has begun, as a dictatorship of
five decades has loosened its grip.
Under President Thein Sein, the desire for change has been met by an agenda for reform.
A civilian now leads the government, and a parliament is asserting itself.
The once-outlawed National League for Democracy stood in an election, and Aung San Suu Kyi
is a Member of Parliament.
Hundreds of prisoners of conscience have been released, and forced labor has been banned.
Preliminary cease-fires have been reached with ethnic armies, and new laws allow for
a more open economy.
So today, I’ve come to keep my promise and extend the hand of friendship.
America now has an Ambassador in Rangoon, sanctions have been eased, and we will help
rebuild an economy that can offer opportunity for its people, and serve as an engine of
growth for the world.
But this remarkable journey has just begun, and has much further to go.
Reforms launched from the top of society must meet the aspirations of citizens who form
its foundation.
The flickers of progress that we have seen must not be extinguished -- they must be strengthened;
they must become a shining North Star for all this nation’s people.
And your success in that effort is important to the United States, as well as to me.
Even though we come from different places, we share common dreams: to choose our leaders;
to live together in peace; to get an education and make a good living; to love our families
and our communities.
That’s why freedom is not an abstract idea; freedom is the very thing that makes human
progress possible -- not just at the ballot box, but in our daily lives.
One of our greatest Presidents in the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, understood
this truth.
He defined America’s cause as more than the right to cast a ballot.
He understood democracy was not just voting.
He called upon the world to embrace four fundamental freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship,
freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
These four freedoms reinforce one another, and you cannot fully realize one without realizing
them all.
So that's the future that we seek for ourselves, and for all people.
And that is what I want to speak to you about today.
First, we believe in the right of free expression so that the voices of ordinary people can
be heard, and governments reflect their will -- the people's will.
In the United States, for more than two centuries, we have worked to keep this promise for all
of our citizens -- to win freedom for those who were enslaved; to extend the right to
vote for women and African Americans; to protect the rights of workers to organize.
And we recognize no two nations achieve these rights in exactly the same way, but there
is no question that your country will be stronger if it draws on the strength of all of its
people.
That’s what allows nations to succeed.
That’s what reform has begun to do.
Instead of being repressed, the right of people to assemble together must now be fully respected.
Instead of being stifled, the veil of media censorship must continue to be lifted.
And as you take these steps, you can draw on your progress.
Instead of being ignored, citizens who protested the construction of the Myitsone dam were
heard.
Instead of being outlawed, political parties have been allowed to participate.
You can see progress being made.
As one voter said during the parliamentary elections here, “Our parents and grandparents
waited for this, but never saw it.”
And now you can see it.
You can taste freedom.
And to protect the freedom of all the voters, those in power must accept constraints.
That's what our American system is designed to do.
Now, America may have the strongest military in the world, but it must submit to civilian
control.
I, as the President of the United States, make determinations that the military then
carries out, not the other way around.
As President and Commander-In-Chief, I have that responsibility because I'm accountable
to the people.
Now, on other hand, as President, I cannot just impose my will on Congress -- the Congress
of the United States -- even though sometimes I wish I could.
The legislative branch has its own powers and its own prerogatives, and so they check
my power and balance my power.
I appoint some of our judges, but I cannot tell them how to rule, because every person
in America -- from a child living in poverty to me, the President of the United States
-- is equal under the law.
And a judge can make a determination as to whether or not I am upholding the law or breaking
the law.
And I am fully accountable to that law.
And I describe our system in the United States because that's how you must reach for the
future that you deserve -- a future where a single prisoner of conscience is one too
many.
You need to reach for a future where the law is stronger than any single leader, because
it's accountable to the people.
You need to reach for a future where no child is made to be a soldier and no woman is exploited,
and where the laws protect them even if they're vulnerable, even if they're weak; a future
where national security is strengthened by a military that serves under civilians and
a Constitution that guarantees that only those who are elected by the people may govern.
On that journey, America will support you every step of the way -- by using our assistance
to empower civil society; by engaging your military to promote professionalism and human
rights; and by partnering with you as you connect your progress towards democracy with
economic development.
So advancing that journey will help you pursue a second freedom -- the belief that all people
should be free from want.
It's not enough to trade a prison of powerlessness for the pain of an empty stomach.
But history shows that governments of the people and by the people and for the people
are far more powerful in delivering prosperity.
And that's the partnership we seek with you.
When ordinary people have a say in their own future, then your land can’t just be taken
away from you.
And that's why reforms must ensure that the people of this nation can have that most fundamental
of possessions -- the right to own the title to the land on which you live and on which
you work.
When your talents are unleashed, then opportunity will be created for all people.
America is lifting our ban on companies doing business here, and your government has lifted
restrictions on investment and taken steps to open up your economy.
And now, as more wealth flows into your borders, we hope and expect that it will lift up more
people.
It can't just help folks at the top.
It has to help everybody.
And that kind of economic growth, where everybody has opportunity -- if you work hard, you can
succeed -- that's what gets a nation moving rapidly when it comes to develop.
But that kind of growth can only be created if corruption is left behind.
For investment to lead to opportunity, reform must promote budgets that are transparent
and industry that is privately owned.
To lead by example, America now insists that our companies meet high standards of openness
and transparency if they're doing business here.
And we'll work with organizations like the World Bank to support small businesses and
to promote an economy that allows entrepreneurs, small businesspeople to thrive and allows
workers to keep what they earn.
And I very much welcome your government’s recent decision to join what we've called
our Open Government Partnership, so that citizens can come to expect accountability and learn
exactly how monies are spent and how your system of government operates.
Above all, when your voices are heard in government, it's far more likely that your basic needs
will be met.
And that’s why reform must reach the daily lives of those who are hungry and those who
are ill, and those who live without electricity or water.
And here, too, America will do our part in working with you.
Today, I was proud to reestablish our USAID mission in this country, which is our lead
development agency.
And the United States wants to be a partner in helping this country, which used to be
the rice bowl of Asia, to reestablish its capacity to feed its people and to care for
its sick, and educate its children, and build its democratic institutions as you continue
down the path of reform.
This country is famous for its natural resources, and they must be protected against exploitation.
And let us remember that in a global economy, a country’s greatest resource is its people.
So by investing in you, this nation can open the door for far more prosperity -- because
unlocking a nation’s potential depends on empowering all its people, especially its
young people.
Just as education is the key to America’s future, it is going to the be the key to your
future as well.
And so we look forward to working with you, as we have with many of your neighbors, to
extend that opportunity and to deepen exchanges among our students.
We want students from this country to travel to the United States and learn from us, and
we want U.S. students to come here and learn from you.
And this truth leads me to the third freedom that I want to discuss: the freedom to worship
-- the freedom to worship as you please, and your right to basic human dignity.
This country, like my own country, is blessed with diversity.
Not everybody looks the same.
Not everybody comes from the same region.
Not everybody worships in the same way.
In your cities and towns, there are pagodas and temples, and mosques and churches standing
side by side.
Well over a hundred ethnic groups have been a part of your story.
Yet within these borders, we’ve seen some of the world’s longest running insurgencies,
which have cost countless lives, and torn families and communities apart, and stood
in the way of development.
No process of reform will succeed without national reconciliation.
(Applause.)
You now have a moment of remarkable opportunity to transform cease-fires into lasting settlements,
and to pursue peace where conflicts still linger, including in Kachin State.
Those efforts must lead to a more just and lasting peace, including humanitarian access
to those in need, and a chance for the displaced to return home.
Today, we look at the recent violence in Rakhine State that has caused so much suffering, and
we see the danger of continued tensions there.
For too long, the people of this state, including ethnic Rakhine, have faced crushing poverty
and persecution.
But there is no excuse for violence against innocent people.
And the Rohingya hold themselves -- hold within themselves the same dignity as you do, and
I do.
National reconciliation will take time, but for the sake of our common humanity, and for
the sake of this country’s future, it is necessary to stop incitement and to stop violence.
And I welcome the government’s commitment to address the issues of injustice and accountability,
and humanitarian access and citizenship.
That’s a vision that the world will support as you move forward.
Every nation struggles to define citizenship.
America has had great debates about these issues, and those debates continue to this
day, because we’re a nation of immigrants -- people coming from every different part
of the world.
But what we’ve learned in the United States is that there are certain principles that
are universal, apply to everybody no matter what you look like, no matter where you come
from, no matter what religion you practice.
The right of people to live without the threat that their families may be harmed or their
homes may be burned simply because of who they are or where they come from.
Only the people of this country ultimately can define your union, can define what it
means to be a citizen of this country.
But I have confidence that as you do that you can draw on this diversity as a strength
and not a weakness.
Your country will be stronger because of many different cultures, but you have to seize
that opportunity.
You have to recognize that strength.
I say this because my own country and my own life have taught me the power of diversity.
The United States of America is a nation of Christians and Jews, and Muslims and Buddhists,
and Hindus and non-believers.
Our story is shaped by every language; it’s enriched by every culture.
We have people from every corners of the world.
We’ve tasted the bitterness of civil war and segregation, but our history shows us
that hatred in the human heart can recede; that the lines between races and tribes fade
away.
And what’s left is a simple truth: e pluribus unum -- that’s what we say in America.
Out of many, we are one nation and we are one people.
And that truth has, time and again, made our union stronger.
It has made our country stronger.
It’s part of what has made America great.
We amended our Constitution to extend the democratic principles that we hold dear.
And I stand before you today as President of the most powerful nation on Earth, but
recognizing that once the color of my skin would have denied me the right to vote.
And so that should give you some sense that if our country can transcend its differences,
then yours can, too.
Every human being within these borders is a part of your nation’s story, and you should
embrace that.
That’s not a source of weakness, that’s a source of strength -- if you recognize it.
And that brings me to the final freedom that I will discuss today, and that is the right
of all people to live free from fear.
In many ways, fear is the force that stands between human beings and their dreams.
Fear of conflict and the weapons of war.
Fear of a future that is different from the past.
Fear of changes that are reordering our societies and economy.
Fear of people who look different, or come from a different place, or worship in a different
way.
In some of her darkest moments, when Aung San Suu Kyi was imprisoned, she wrote an essay
about freedom from fear.
She said fear of losing corrupts those who wield it -- “Fear of losing power corrupts
those who wield it, and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to
it.”
That's the fear that you can leave behind.
We see that chance in leaders who are beginning to understand that power comes from appealing
to people’s hopes, not people's fears.
We see it in citizens who insist that this time must be different, that this time change
will come and will continue.
As Aung San Suu Kyi wrote: “Fear is not the natural state of civilized man.”
I believe that.
And today, you are showing the world that fear does not have to be the natural state
of life in this country.
That’s why I am here.
That’s why I came to Rangoon.
And that’s why what happens here is so important -- not only to this region, but to the world.
Because you're taking a journey that has the potential to inspire so many people.
This is a test of whether a country can transition to a better place.
The United States of America is a Pacific nation, and we see our future as bound to
those nations and peoples to our West.
And as our economy recovers, this is where we believe we will find enormous growth.
As we have ended the wars that have dominated our foreign policy for a decade, this region
will be a focus for our efforts to build a prosperous peace.
Here in Southeast Asia, we see the potential for integration among nations and people.
And as President, I have embraced ASEAN for reasons that go beyond the fact that I spent
some of my childhood in this region, in Indonesia.
Because with ASEAN, we see nations that are on the move -- nations that are growing, and
democracies that are emerging; governments that are cooperating; progress that’s building
on the diversity that spans oceans and islands and jungles and cities, peoples of every race
and every religion.
This is what the 21st century should look like if we have the courage to put aside our
differences and move forward with a sense of mutual interest and mutual respect.
And here in Rangoon, I want to send a message across Asia: We don’t need to be defined
by the prisons of the past.
We need to look forward to the future.
To the leadership of North Korea, I have offered a choice: let go of your nuclear weapons and
choose the path of peace and progress.
If you do, you will find an extended hand from the United States of America.
In 2012, we don’t need to cling to the divisions of East, West and North and South.
We welcome the peaceful rise of China, your neighbor to the North; and India, your neighbor
to the West.
The United Nations -- the United States will work with any nation, large or small, that
will contribute to a world that is more peaceful and more prosperous, and more just and more
free.
And the United States will be a friend to any nation that respects the rights of its
citizens and the responsibilities of international law.
That's the nation, that's the world that you can start to build here in this historic city.
This nation that's been so isolated can show the world the power of a new beginning, and
demonstrate once again that the journey to democracy goes hand in hand with development.
I say this knowing that there are still countless people in this country who do not enjoy the
opportunities that many of you seated here do.
There are tens of millions who have no electricity.
There are prisoners of conscience who still await release.
There are refugees and displaced peoples in camps where hope is still something that lies
on the distant horizon.
Today, I say to you -- and I say to everybody that can hear my voice -- that the United
States of America is with you, including those who have been forgotten, those who are dispossessed,
those who are ostracized, those who are poor.
We carry your story in our heads and your hopes in our hearts, because in this 21st
century with the spread of technology and the breaking down of barriers, the frontlines
of freedom are within nations and individuals, not simply between them.
As one former prisoner put it in speaking to his fellow citizens, “Politics is your
job.
It’s not only for [the] politicians.”
And we have an expression in the United States that the most important office in a democracy
is the office of citizen -- not President, not Speaker, but citizen.
(Applause.)
So as extraordinary and difficult and challenging and sometimes frustrating as this journey
may seem, in the end, you, the citizens of this country, are the ones who must define
what freedom means.
You're the ones who are going to have to seize freedom, because a true revolution of the
spirit begins in each of our hearts.
It requires the kind of courage that so many of your leaders have already displayed.
The road ahead will be marked by huge challenges, and there will be those who resist the forces
of change.
But I stand here with confidence that something is happening in this country that cannot be
reversed, and the will of the people can lift up this nation and set a great example for
the world.
And you will have in the United States of America a partner on that long journey.
So, cezu tin bad de.
(Applause.)
Thank you.
(Applause.)