The delight at Aung San Suu Kyi's election on Sunday in Burma reached all the way across the globe and into the hearts of Canada's Burmese community where so many know first hand the cost of political struggles. But that euphoria isn't naïve, after all Ms. Suu Kyi's party is in a minority. So is what's happening there merely symbolic or suitably significant?

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Part One of The Current

Satire

It's Wednesday, April 4th.

The auditor general slammed Ottawa's planned F-35 purchase, saying the fighters could cost billions more than publicly acknowledged.

The government responded: "In for a penny ... Oh wait. We don't have those anymore.

This is The Current.

Aung San Suu Kyi's win in Burma By-Elections

You don't have to live in Rangoon to feel the excitement of the Burmese this week ... and to know how utterly astonishing a week it's been. Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and her party won a landslide victory in by-elections on the weekend. Her National League for Democracy won 43 of the 44 constituencies where it fielded candidates. It's a small dent in Burma's 664-seat Parliament ... but many view it as a significant step away from military rule ... toward democracy. After decades of sitting at home under house arrest as a political prisoner, Ms. Suu Kyi will now take a different seat -- in the Burmese parliament.

The road to reconciliation could be rocky. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party retains a comfortable majority in Burma's Parliament. And the army is locked in conflict with a number of ethnic minorities. Canadians of Burmese descent are watching everything unfold very closely.

Tin Maung Htoo is the Executive Director of Canadian Friends of Burma. He was an organizer of the 1988 student uprising in Burma, and fled soon after. Zaw Kyaw also left Burma after participating in that uprising. He is the co-founder of the Canadian Campaign for Free Burma and a spokesperson for the Burma Ethnic Nationalities Network. He joined us in our Toronto studio. And Stella Naw was forced to leave Burma more than six years ago because of her religious beliefs. She now lives in Toronto, where she is a student at the University of Toronto. She joined us in our studio as well.

This segment was The Current's Josh Bloch and Liz Hoath.

Related Links:

• As new era dawns in Myanmar, ethnic conflicts remain a challenge - Christian Science Monitor
• Aung San Suu Kyi's victory does not bring Burma freedom By: Zoya Phan - The Guardian
• Suu Kyi party 'wins 43 seats' in Myanmar elections: Official Results - AFP
  
  

Other segments from today's show:

• Liza Mundy: The Richer Sex
• Environmental Assessment Changes