Part 2: Section 20 Summary

This section consists of her written agreement to stand for election in May 1990 (she translated this agreement into the English version published in the book). Aung San Suu Kyi wrote that although she has been detained since July 20, 1989 for her political opinion, she was nevertheless submitting her papers to stand as a candidate in the forthcoming elections. Although the military regime later officially disallowed her candidacy, her party went on to conclusively win the election with over 80% of the vote. Her agreement concluded that she was submitting her application out of respect "to honour the courage and perseverance of the people who are striving for democracy; and from a desire to help fulfill the just aspirations of the people to the best of my ability."

Part 2: Section 20 Analysis

It was American Ralph Waldo Emerson who wrote that "an institution is the...