Prominent Myanmar authors have issued a blistering rebuttal to a junta-aligned cleric and a high-profile tycoon, following viral comments that characterized writers as the “destroyers of the nation.”
The controversy erupted after a video circulated on social media showing U Wimalabhivamsa (known as the Hitadhara Sayadaw) and “crony” businessman U Moe Kyaw disparaging the literary community. In the footage, the monk alleged that authors were the ones destroying literary culture and “acting in a disgraceful manner.”
In response, renowned author Tharawun (Pyay), who has long been a vocal critic of military rule, took to social media to defend his profession. He emphasized that throughout Myanmar’s history, the literary community has stood as a bulwark against tyranny.
“Except for a few ‘boot-licking’ outliers, writers throughout the generations have never betrayed the public by aligning with dictators,” Tharawun (Pyay) wrote. “Even if grass were to grow on our tongues [from starvation or silence], we will not betray the nation.”
The author further argued that it is the military-linked tycoons and “political monks” who are the true parasites of society. “The military hates writers because we distribute the truth about their blood-sucking privileges to the public,” he added. “Cronies fear us because, like a spotlight at midnight, our literature illuminates how they profit from the tears of the oppressed.”
The exchange has resonated deeply with a public currently enduring the fallout of the 2021 coup. Supporters of the literary community have characterized the critics as being “blinded by slave-mentality.”
“Literary scholars are the brains, the eyes, and the hearts of a nation,” one citizen wrote in support of Tharawun. “Those who fawn over the powerful for personal gain only bark because their masters have been touched. They are too intoxicated by their own servitude to see the injustices committed by their leaders.”
The verbal assault on writers is being viewed against a backdrop of severe physical repression. Since the coup, the military junta has systematically targeted the intellectual class.
High-profile authors, including Maung Thar Cho and Than Myint Aung, were among the first to be arrested and imprisoned. Just last month, the elderly writer U Tin Nyunt was detained over books published during previous administrations that detailed the history and conduct of military generals.
The targeting of writers highlights the junta’s ongoing struggle to control the narrative in a country where the pen remains a potent weapon of resistance. For authors like Tharawun (Pyay), the latest verbal attacks by junta proxies serve only to confirm the vital role of literature in Myanmar’s struggle for democracy.
