"It is often in the name of cultural integrity as well as social stability and national security that democratic reforms based on human rights are resisted by authoritarian governments"
- Aung San Suu Kyi
About this Quote
In this quote, Aung San Suu Kyi highlights the common validation used by authoritarian federal governments to withstand democratic reforms that are based upon human rights. She suggests that these federal governments typically use the principles of cultural stability, social stability, and nationwide security as excuses to preserve their power and reduce the rights of their citizens. By framing democratic reforms as a hazard to these values, these governments have the ability to validate their actions and preserve control over their individuals. Nevertheless, Suu Kyi argues that true cultural stability, social stability, and nationwide security can only be achieved through appreciating and supporting human rights, instead of reducing them.
"One has children in the expectation of dying before them. In fact, you want to make damn sure you die before them, just as you plant a tree or build a house knowing, hoping that it will outlive you. That's how the human species has done as well as it has"
