LONDON: What kind of Burma are the men of the 14th Army fighting so grimly to restore? They have a right to know. If the strength of a chain is to be tested by its weakest link, British Imperialism before the war broke down at Burma, says Mr. Somerset de Chair, M.P., in the “Evening Standard”... “It was the one part of the Empire where we had failed both to convince the inhabitants of the advantages of British rule, and when war came, to protect the country from invasion and devastation.

So the future of Burma poses significant questions which may well determine our success as an Imperial people in the condition which will follow this war.

“First, who are the Burmans? There are the Burmese living in the plains, living mostly on the export of a single crop, rice ... These Burmese are Buddhists and are a delightful easy-going people, averse to trade and industry….

“There can be only two workable forms of Imperialism — either benevolent despotism, or partnership. We have chosen the latter and we administer all those parts of the Empire which have not reached Dominion Status with the declared intention of bringing them as soon as practicable into partnership with the Mother Country”.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2020