Myths and Mists Around My Caricature
Who is Dr Maung Maung Nyo?
By Dr Maung Maung Nyo
Prologue
There are myths and mists surrounding Dr Maung Maung Nyo. Some people
do not know who he is; a Burman, a Chinese, a Pyu? Some also do not
understand his belief either in religion or in politics; a communist, a militarist,
a chauvinist, a nationalist or an internationalist? And what is he?
(The Mahamni Buddha Image at Mandalay)
His Origin
Once I was having a dinner with drinks in
U Tin Khaing, U Ne Win and some other literary personnel. U Hla Wai
introduced me to other people and U Ne Win, the writer and publisher,
offered whisky to each of us numbering about ten. I took a peg of whisky
and mixed with water.
(The Mandalay Palace, Reconstructed in Madalay)
U Tin Khaing said, “ Ko Nyo, why do you mix with water? Take soda.
Whisky mixes well with soda.”
“Yes, that’s right. But I prefer water to soda. Thanks”, I replied and sipped
my drink.
“ Yes, Ko Nyo, I have plenty of Club soda. Want one?” U Ne Win offered.
“Thank you. Ko Ne Win. Only the Scots and alcoholic mix soda and whisky,
the true drinker mixes whisky and water or drink neat, they say in
I told them. They laughed. “What about Ko Tin Khaing?”, I asked.
“But I will only take beer”, Ko Tin Khaing said.
(Dr Maung Maung Nyo with Ph.D. London Gown)
“What beer?’” I asked. “Heinekan”, he replied.
“
“What about Ko Ne Win? What do you drink?” I asked.
“Lime juice as I’m the host”, he replied.
“Very well”, I concurred.
(Cover of the Burmese Folk Tales by Dr Htin Aung Ph.D., D.Litt.,
the First English Reader for all Educated Burmese in the Post-War)
Then we talked about a variety of things: politics, economics, literature,
personalities. I did participate in all topics. I commended every one;
“Ko Hla Wai, you are right about socialism, it’s for the good of the majority poor”,
“Yes, Ko Tin Khaing, you are right about Kyi Aye. Her poems are innovative
and refreshing”,
(The Karaweik and Kandawgyi Lake, Yangon, Myanmar)
“You are right U Ne Win, applied psychology is useful for everyday life.
Yes, Tekkatho Phone Naing writes about schizophrenia. He goes a little too far
by treating it without a psychiatrist”;
“Of course Ko Hla Win is right about the supersonic plane. It has broken the
sound barrier”, “Of course, Saya Paragu knows about Tagore. He has studied
in the
“ Who is Okkahtagyi (President)U Ne Win? He was Thakhin Shu Maung,
a right win politician, a follower of Thakhin Ba Sein”;
“Yes, I know the minister for health.”
A few days later U Hla Wai told me,’ Ko Nyo all the people are praising you.
They say you are a good Rangooner knowing all things topical. I did not tell them
that you were born in Monywa to avoid offending them.”
“Thank you, Ko Hla Wai. Let’s have a Scotch now”, I said and took him
to my lobby.
Are you an Indian?
One day my elder daughter Yupar asked me,” Papa, Do you know who
Abhirajah is?”
(Pot Shard Found At Tagaung, the Cradle of Burma)
“Yes, I know. He was a Sakyan (Saki) Prince who came from
the First Tagaung”, I answered.
“ So, Tagaung was the beginning of the Mynamar or
“Yes, there is a saying, Myanmar Asa Tagaung Ka (All
began from Tagaung)”
(Excavation in Tagaung shows Habitation and Town's Dwelling Since
the First Century AD)
“ So, the national song “ Tagaung Abhirajah Ma Hnyo Gone Teza”
( Un-diminishing prowess and power of the Tagaung King Abhirajah) is right.”
“Sure”
(The Pyu Inscription Found at Tagaung: It refuted G.H. Luce's Contention that
Tagaung was Established only in 11th Century AD)
“Then, you are an Indian as Abhirajah came from
“No, only Abhirajah and his entourage were Sayan (Saki). Even then Saki are
not Indians. Some said they are Mongoloids. Burmans are Mongoloids
or Tibeto-Burman.”
(Map of Tagaung showing the City Walls and Change of Position of the
Irrawaddy River to the West)
“ But, Papa you like Indian foods and you always talk good things about India
and Burma. You have Indian friends. You may be Indian”, Yupar concluded
with a chuckle. She was teasing me!
He’s a Chinese!
I used to visit the Social Club of the Burma Medical Association (Now MMA)
almost every evening to offer drinks to my writers friends after I came back
from
for money and I was living free of charge at the National Hall of the Institute of
Medicine 2 in Mingaladon as the warden or honorary warden. I was also earning
a lot from the royalty more than enough to support my way of living.
(Entrance to the Forbidden City at Beijing)
Then, Dr Hla Pe who was the Social Secretary of the BMA went abroad for
a few months and he deputized me to look after he Club activities. I did it very
well as I have been used to running the Social and Reading Clubs of the
Mandalay Hall, Branch Medical Faculty at Mandalay, The Lathar Hostel and
BMH, Maymyo (Now Pyin-OoLwin) Officers Mess. The BMA Club not only
survived, but improved with more facilities and lights.
(Map pf South East Asia Showing Burma and Its Neighbouring Countries;
The Pagan Empire Controlled Central and Northern Parts of Thailand)
Dr Hla Pe was pleased when he came back to
to be the Secretary in his place next year as he was becoming old. I took over
it unwillingly, but I worked conscientiously. The BMA club improved and
many doctors from district visited it often. Many old friends from Anyar visited
the Club and they would play billiards or scrabbles with me. I just played for
fun and shared drinks with them.
(The Great Wall of China)
One day a few junior doctors from Anyar visited the BMA club while I was
playing billiards. They sat on the side benches and drank rum and beer.
They chatted and asked Ko Tun Aung, the Club’s messing clerk. Then,
they looked at me and shouted,” Well, we thought Dr Maung Maung Nyo
was a Bamar-Anyartha, now he is a Chinese after all!”
(Map of Modern Asia Showing Burma and Its Neighbours)
Every one in the Club laughed heartily and asked them, “Why did you say
Dr Maung Maung Nyo is a Chinese?”
“ He is fair, whiter than us, he is eating barbecued pork, Akhaukin, with rum,
he is wearing a red sportshirt, he speaks English most of the time not Burmese,
his company is made of Chinese (They pointed to Dr Tun Lin, Dr Tin Hlaing,
Dr Win Cho and U Hla Wai) all fair.”
(The Pyu Relics Found at Excavations in Tagaung)
We all laughed. Dr Hla Pe told them, “If I were your examiner I would certainly
fail you at the viva as Ko Maung Maung Nyo does. He was a pure Anyartha
born and brought up in Monywa and
Look before you leap; read before your exam!”
A Communist?
Not long ago on the AMIM (Alumni Myanmar Institutes of Medicine) website
some up and coming senior doctors accused me of being a communist using
the term such as ‘”You are following your party line”, “What is the CPB or
BCP’s instruction?”, “Your bosses in the former Soviet Union” etc and so on.
When I asked them to produce any evidence that I was or am a Communist or
a Party member they said they could not produce it, but it’s the custom to accuse
an opponent like this as in the
(Standing Linyone Maung Maung, Sitting Dagon Taryar and
Dr Nan Ommar, near Right)
The highly educated Burmese medical personnel are
following the bad habits of vulgar politicians in the world! They should use their brain
to judge a news or rumour and to support any accusation with facts.
But, this is not the first time that I was accused of as a communist. I was accused
of being a communist or a fellow traveler when I stood for election as the
General Secretary for Social and Reading Club of the Branch Medical Faculty
at
(Branch Medical Faculty, Mandalay)
All the members and supporters of the SUF
(Student United Front) supported me against the DSO (Democratic
Students Organisation) candidate. But I was never a member of the SUF and
never a member of any political party like Dr Khin Maung Aye or Ko Ye Myint,
both SUF leaders and CPB members, in the medical faculty. The late
U Khin Hla was a DSO leader. Some old BMF students think that
I belonged to the SUF and a great “Red Leader!”
(Logo of the University of Rangoon 1920-1964)
This misconception recurred at the BMA Club between 1978 and 1982
as I was socializing with a lot of writers both red-leaning like Dagon Taryar,
Paragu, U Hla Wai U Thar Ban etc. They did not realize I was also friends
with rightist writers like U Kyee Maung (Ngw-U-Daung), Taik Soe,
Le Tha Ye Tit Oo etc. It was like accusing Hanthawaddy U Win Tin of
being a communist because the MI (Military Intelligence) found books by
Lenin and Stalin, and Mao Ze Dong in his house. I used to joke that the chief
librarians of Rangoon University Library Saya Zawgyi (U Thein Han) and
U Thaw Kaung could be accused as communists as there are many
communist and socialist books in the Library.
(Logo of the Institute of Medicine 1, Rangoon1964-2007)
But, in my case several MI officers were sent to investigate this rumour by
sending their officers to the BMA and also to the
I asked a friend of mine at the BMA why many MI (Military Intelligence) officers
were visiting us often. He did not tell me at first, but after some time he said that
they were asking them whether I was a communist. He and other friends laughed
at the suggestion because they did not know that I was an army major long
before those MI officers were commissioned! But friends at the DSGH also
informed me of the investigation with glee too.
(Service, Sympathy and Humanity for Doctors)
During the four eights (8888) upheavals in
posted to my department at IM 1 Lake-Khone on
I knew this because one of them told me so. He told me,” Sayagyi (Professor),
please take care. We’re instructed to watch your activities. They thought you’re
giving advice to the demonstrating students!” Then one teacher telephoned me not
to come to the IM 1 building at Lanmadaw as there were activities to make me do
something that is anti-government. I knew what it was and I refrained from doing it.
Tekkatho Phone Naing was sacked from the post of Rector of Educational Institute
for doing such that!
A Militarist
Some politically naïve persons accused me of being a militarist traveling together
with the SPDC as I was a major in the Burma Army. It’s true I served in the
Burma Army from 1959 to 1972, first as a cadet officer and then as a
commissioned officer. But people should understand that the medical officers
in any army are never militarist and they are first and foremost healers or doctors.
They are most concerned with people’s health and life.
(General Aung San and Governor Sir Hubert Rance )
Those who are militarist or fond of fighting have moved out of the Burma Army
Medical Corps to the infantry like Brigadier Kyaw Myint and Colonel
Maung Lwin (Military Attache to
I totally moved from the medical corps and army to the academia.
(General Aung San in the Kachin State)
And to be a militarist or fellow traveler with military junta in Burma at present
is a high rewarding job like Tay Za of Htoo Company, Yuzana U Hla Myint,
Mya Yeik Nyo Dr Khin Nyo etc. but they know they are at the contempt of t
he public. So, why should I do it for nothing?
Besides my BC number is way ahead of any officer in the SLORC or SPDC.
Any body wishes to bet? I’m senior to even General Ne Win by BC number as
I belonged to the regular officers group granted by the Kandi Agreement. So, be
ware and do research before you accuse another person!
Related to Some One High Up
People said that I was sent to the
in 1966 as I was related to Colonel Hla Han. Many state scholars in the
those days told me, “Oh, you can say because you are the nephew of
Colonel Hla Han, minister for health and education then”. I told them it was not true,
but they did not believe me.
( MMN with VIPs Dr Mya Oo and Dr Htin Aung, Donald)
Once I went to the Swoon-Kyaw ( Offering of Meal to Sangha) of Collegian
Ne Win at
asked me, “ How is your Aphogyi?”
(Charity at The State Psychiatric Hospital, Yangon: Standing L to R:
Chaw Su, Drs Tin Moe Nwe, Khin Lay Yi, NOM, MMN)
“Who ? Which Aphogyi?” I enquired him
as I did not know what he was asking. “I mean President U San Yu, your
father- in-law.” I laughed and replied,’ Ah, You have mistaken me with
Dr Maung Maung Wint. I’m not related to U San Yu. Dr Maung Maung Wint
is his son-in-law.” Of course, I knew U San Yu as he knew me.
Conclusion
I am a Buddhist by birth and choice. My parents and their forefathers from
both sides were born in Monywa or its district and they belonged to an indigenous
Burman or Pyu-Bamar Race as Professor Elizabeth Moore described in her articles.
The Nyaunggan people have lived since the copper or iron age about
10, 000 years ago. I’m proud of my roots as many people are.
(Thanbuddhay Cedi, Monywa)
My mother’s uncle was a learned abbot in Monywa and my father’s cousin
was a progressive modern monk driving car and doing advanced farming
with his monk’s robes.My great grand fathers and great great grand fathers
have built pagodas and monasteries in Monywa District. I myself have donned the
Buddhist monk robe. Ledi Sayadaw was my family’s abbot and we used to go to
the Ledi Monastery every Buddhist Sabdath Day (U Bouth Ney) to observe
Buddhist Lent when we were young.
(The First Ledi Sayadaw, Monywa)
I learned medicine because I like and look upon it as a noble profession.
I join the teaching profession because Buddha was a great teacher as do Jesus Christ
and Mohammad. I write because I like to share my opinion, not because
I like to show off my knowledge. I always remember what the Buddha told
the Venerable Ananda: “ Ananda, what I tell all of you is like the leaves in my palm,
but the knowledge in the universe is unlimited like the leaves on the tree”
by plucking some leaves from the tree nearby and showing it to Ananda
who always praised the Buddha.
( Dr MMN in Monk Robe with Parents U Hla Maung and Daw E Sein)
It was similarly stated by Sir Isaacs Newton, “ What I know about nature or
science is like the sand in my hand, but the total knowledge of the universe is
unlimited like the sand on the beach!”
With malice towards none, but charity for all!
(A/P Dr Nan Ommar and Professor Dr Maung Maung Nyo
at UNIMAS, Kuching, Malaysia)
Dr Maung Maung Nyo
5 May 2009
2 comments:
It's so informative yet fun to read the "about you" page saya! =))
Dear BarNyar,
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Maung Maung Nyo
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