Aung San Suu Kyi: a truly inspiring woman
Aung San Suu Kyi at a meeting at the presidential palace at Naypyitaw earlier this year.Aung Sang Suu Kyi recently made Forbes' list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women. A Nobel laureate and avid human rights activist, she is an icon for her attempts to bring democracy to Myanmar.
Her dream nearly became a reality after she won the national elections in 1990, but it was crushed by the government's stubborn refusal to hand over power. Unfair trials and a corrupt legal system led to her house arrest, which lasted for two decades.
She was finally released at the end of 2010, and continued to fight for democracy.
In 2012, Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, won 43 seats in the national by-elections. And on July 9, Suu Kyi attended parliament as a lawmaker for the first time in her life.
Despite this, there is still much to be done. The government has yet to solve basic problems such as poverty, a corrupt judiciary and poor infrastructure. The country currently spends just 1 per cent of its budget on healthcare, but 20 times that amount on the military.
Suu Kyi's legacy is an inspiration to everyone, and most of all, a testament to how much we can do if we put our minds to it. Her story is not just about a fight for democracy; it shows what an individual can do if they are determined to bring peace and prosperity to their country.