“Dearest Friends” by Albertina Soliani

Parma, 7^th September 2020

Dearest Friends,

I carry you in my heart, you know. The distance of these months is deepening the desire to see you, we are closer than ever.

We are facing the same challenge: to stop Covid-19, freeing every people from this suffering. You know that each one of us can stop the infection with our behaviour.

I am sure that you, like us, will be personally committed to fighting this pandemic for yourselves, your families, your friends, your neighbours, for the entire people of Myanmar. Aung San Suu Kyi is leading and protecting you with all of herself. A great gift for all the Burmese people, and for the world. Her story is a great story of freedom and responsibility, which gathers that one of each of you.

As you know, we have always been in contact with you in recent months, especially thanks to the University of Parma, your doctors, the Ambassador of Italy in Yangon and the Ambassador of Myanmar in Rome. We will continue our collaboration in the next period, hoping that the conditions will improve soon to resume our exchanges between Parma, Italy and Myanmar. We hope to resume flying towards each other soon.

Dear Friends, I see the future of Myanmar in the days we are experiencing. Reconciliation and peace, the cease-fire, the establishment of a Democratic Federal Union.

The recently concluded 4^th Peace Conference – 21st Century Panglong is a promise and a commitment for the future. It is up to you, it is up to this generation to bring a new Myanmar to the world with its message of truth, justice, peace, trust in universal values. We are waiting for it, we want to experience it with you because your reconciliation is our reconciliation, your development is our development, your democracy is our democracy.

Aung San Suu Kyi said opening the 4^th session of the Peace Conference: ”Before dying, we want to enjoy peace in our Country”. Yes, dear friends, we too want to walk with you in peace in every corner of beautiful Burma.

On November 8^th you are going to the polling stations to decide the political future of Myanmar. I deem elections to be the greatest expression of the bond that unites people and makes them one people, the most important display of freedom. The fate of Myanmar is in your hands, in the choice of each citizen’s conscience. The thread of democracy – which gave birth to our friendship – will unite us on the day of the next elections. I am sure that each of you will cast their vote, and that you will make sure that everyone does. The foundation of the Republic lies in the vote of each one, the sign of its cohesiveness.

On the evening of 8^th November send us the good news: that democracy has fully won in Burma.

Always have faith in democracy, in the participation of the people, in peace: these are the common values which everything else stems from – freedom, health, education, work, well-being.

I want you to know that from Italy we always think of you with infinite gratitude, with a sound confidence. Today is the time to be responsible for one another, and to make the right choices. The fundamental ones for which many people have given their lives in the past years. They walk with us, they are in front of us. Aung San stands in front of everyone, today as back then.

We will meet again soon. We are going to meet at the Shwedagon Pagoda, next to the Monument to the Students fallen in 1920, which faces westward. Giuseppe’s spirit will be with us.

Be strong and responsible, always. Me too, we too, together with you.

I embrace you one by one.

Mingalaba.

Albertina

 

Italian version

Questo articolo è disponibile anche in: Italian