Revered Politician, Writer Dies

By MIN LWIN

Kyi Oo, a veteran politician who took part in the Burmese independence movement and 1990 election and was a writer on culture and society, died on Friday at her home in Rangoon’s Yankin Township. She was 84.

She is survived by her husband and two sons. Her youngest son, Zarganar, a political prisoner, is serving long-term imprisonment in Myintkyinar Prison for his involvement in humanitarian assistance to the survivors of Cyclone Nargis in 2008.

Kyi Oo’s writing focused on culture and society in Rangoon-based popular magazines, journals and other publications, and in a wide range of articles written both for young Burmese and adults.

“She wrote on many aspects of Burmese culture,” said Paragu, a writer and founder of the Paragu Shantiniketan Library in Rangoon. “She and her work were targeted by the military authorities because of her son Zaganar.”

When The Irrawaddy asked Kyi Oo’s son Teza to comment on his mother’s unwavering commitment and strength, he said, "She had not given up her beliefs. She could not tolerate injustice. She stands for the Burmese people."

According to Teza, she brought Zarganar up to be honest and to love justice and taught him to speak out to try to make things better.

“My mother selected books for us to read, which ones were appropriate for us and which didn’t fit,” Teza said.

Kyi Oo was born in Bilin in Mon State on June 23, 1925. She became involved in politics and began her literary career while still a teenager.

Kyi Oo and her family had repeated run-ins with the military authorities because of her son Zarganar’s political involvement. One journalist said she had never been one who bowed down to the Burmese military government. Her husband’s pen name, Nan Nyunt Swe, was banned in government publications.

She was a vocal critic of the country’s political and social development during telephone interviews with Burmese foreign radio stations, causing her work to be banned regularly by Rangoon’s censorship board. Kyi Oo’s lifetime commitment to fighting injustice and her refusal to be cowed into silence made her a living symbol of resistance.

She was one of the co-founders of the Association of Burmese Literature Distribution in 1951 and was an independent candidate for Yankin Township during the 1990 election.

“She had a sense of humor, and no one except the well-known female writer Saw Mone Nyin could dare talk with Kyi Oo in public talks,” said Nan Nyunt Swe, her husband.

“Among our sons, Zaganar obtained his mother’s genius,” he said.

According to Nan Nyunt Swe, Kyi Oo’s family members requested the Minister of Home Affairs Prison Department and prison authorities in Myintkyinar to allow Zarganar to meet Kyi Oo before she passed away. The request was denied.

“I am very sad, because she didn’t meet Zarganar before she died,” said Nan Nyunt Swe.