Political Belief
Asked what democratic models Myanmar could look to, she said: "We have many, many lessons to learn from various places, not just the Asian countries like South Korea, Taiwan, Mongolia and Indonesia." She also cited "the eastern European countries, which made the transition from communist autocracy to democracy in the 1980s and 1990s, and the Latin American countries, which made the transition from military governments. "And we cannot of course forget South Africa, because although it wasn't a military regime, it was certainly an authoritarian regime." She added: "We wish to learn from everybody who has achieved a transition to democracy, and also ... our great strong point is that, because we are so far behind everybody else, we can also learn which mistakes we should avoid."
In a nod to the current deep US political divide between Republicans led by Mitt Romney and the Democrats of Obama -- battling to win the Presidential election on 6 November -- she stressed with a smile "Those of you who are familiar with American politics I'm sure understand the need for negotiated compromise."
Read more about this topic: Aung San Suu Kyi
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