Gaga, Suu Kyi: icons of the fighting spirit

Published: 28/05/2012 at 02:14 AM     ...

First it was Lady Gaga; next is "The Lady". Thais no doubt will be able to draw a lesson or ten from two world-famous "Ladies" from vastly differing backgrounds, but who share a common virtue: never give up.

Lady Gaga ended her extravaganza, mega-gig at Rajamangkala on Friday night after packing the Hua Mak stadium to the rafters. Undoubtedly, it was one of the best concerts seen in the kingdom. The 26-year-old New Yorker kept 50,000 fans spellbound during her two-hour "Born This Way Ball" show, leaving hopes she will come back with a similar performance.

One thing her "monsters" (as she calls her fans) here can learn is it's not all just about talent. There's no question she has that _ all her albums, The Fame, The Fame Monster and Born This Way rose to the top of the music charts.

She was even picked by Time magazine as an influential world figure.

What should impress is her never-say-die attitude. Her rise to fame was not easy. She knew what she wanted and never once showed signs of discouragement.

She is the most popular artist today, collecting more than US$25 million (750 million baht) alone this year. However, the American has not forgotten the bad old days when she "had to knock on doors to beg people to listen to her music".

Her attitude and strong determination not to throw in the towel are paying off handsomely today. She has all she wants, is a fashion trend-setter and joins in social campaigns and freedom causes.

While Lady Gaga's road to success was rough, Aung San Suu Kyi _ "The Lady" _ endured the unimaginable on the road to democracy in Myanmar. Who could believe that such a gentle, unassuming woman could tame the military beast.

It took two decades of resolute yet peaceful determination, starting when Myanmar was still called Burma, and the government was ruled by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) and then the State Peace and Development Council.

Mrs Suu Kyi never advocated arms in her fight. Her weapon was strength and an iron will to restore democracy. It was reflected in her eyes _ the eyes of a tiger, which kept alive hope for the end of the junta. Anybody looking into her eyes knows why she was able, so often, to single-handedly get under the generals's skin despite their firm grip, and why she was able to endure most of the past two decades under house arrest at her colonial house by the lake in Yangon.

The confinement as a result of political oppression by her enemies never discouraged her. She never had second thoughts about her fight for democracy, despite the heartbreak of not being able to see her family as the years rolled by.

Her rise to world prominence started with the landslide win by her National League for Democracy in the general election in 1990. It was never recognised by the junta.

Finally, her cast-iron determination won out. Released from house arrest, she and members of the NLD won 43 out of 45 seats in parliament in the April by-elections. After two decades of staring down the generals, she has taken her first important step towards full democracy for Myanmar.

Don't expect the Nobel laureate, who is now 67, to talk about it much when she comes to Bangkok this week in her first trip abroad in more than 20 years.

Yes, she could have left the country at any time, especially when there were family crises, but she feared that if she did so, the generals would never let her back in. She opted to stay put, much to the chagrin of the junta.

This time it is different. Things have changed in Myanmar, and although not moving at the speed she and other democracy advocates would like, it is an encouraging sign that finally there is light at the end of the tunnel.

It's in Mrs Suu Kyi's nature to look forward, not back. At the World Economic Forum on East Asia, which she will attend while she is in Bangkok, she will talk about what's next not for her, but for Myanmar.

The two ladies from two generations and two different social contexts, and with vastly differing goals, have one thing in common. They will never give up and take the easy option.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/295333/gaga-suu-kyi-icons-of-the-fighting-spirit