The Rohingya political struggle did not begin in 2017. It did not begin in the refugee camps. Our political history goes back generations—to a time when our people had representatives in parliament, political organisations, educated leaders and revolutionary movements.
𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦 & 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦
1️⃣ 𝗚𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗻 — 1930s
An early Muslim political representative during British Burma.
2️⃣ 𝗠. 𝗔. 𝗚𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗿 — 1940s–1960s
A prominent political representative who tirelessly advocated for the rights and political recognition of our people.
3️⃣ 𝗦𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗱 — 1940s–1960s
A parliamentarian and government representative who represented the interests of the people of northern Arakan.
𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗬 & 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦
1️⃣ 𝗝𝗮𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗞𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗹 — 1940s–1950s
A leading figure associated with the early Mujahid movement and an important figure in the transition from political advocacy to organised resistance.
2️⃣ 𝗠𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗱 𝗝𝗮𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗯 (𝗕.𝗔. 𝗝𝗮𝗳𝗮𝗿) — 1960s–1980s
A graduate of Rangoon University and one of the central figures in the development of the modern Rohingya resistance movement.
𝗝𝗔𝗙𝗔𝗥 𝗛𝗔𝗕𝗜𝗕 & 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗙–𝗥𝗜𝗔–𝗥𝗣𝗙 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗔𝗚𝗘
The political significance of B.A. Jafar Habib cannot be understood without understanding the organisations he helped lead.
𝗥𝗜𝗙 — 𝗥𝗢𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗬𝗔 𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗖𝗘
In the 1960s, following the military coup and the shrinking of Rohingya political space, Mohammad Jafar Habib emerged from the student and political movement and became a leading figure in the formation of the Rohingya Independent Force (RIF).
Historical accounts identify Jafar Habib and Sultan Ahmed as leading figures in the formation of the RIF in 1964. Its stated objective was to establish a Rohingya autonomous area within Burma.
𝗥𝗜𝗔 — 𝗥𝗢𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗬𝗔 𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗔𝗥𝗠𝗬
In 1969, the organisation was reorganised as the Rohingya Independent Army (RIA), with Jafar Habib continuing as its leader.
This was not simply a change of name. It represented an attempt to transform an earlier resistance structure into a more organised political and military movement.
𝗥𝗣𝗙 — 𝗥𝗢𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗬𝗔 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗧𝗜𝗖 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗧
On 12 September 1973, the RIA was reorganised as the Rohingya Patriotic Front (RPF) near the Bangladesh–Burma border, with Jafar Habib remaining at the centre of the movement.
The RPF sought to pursue the Rohingya political struggle for an autonomous homeland within Burma. It also produced political publications and sought to communicate the Rohingya cause beyond Arakan.
𝗕.𝗔. 𝗝𝗔𝗙𝗔𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗔 𝗙𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗘𝗥.
He was an educated political organiser who became part of the leadership transition from student activism to organised Rohingya resistance.
His political journey connected several stages of the movement:
𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗺 → 𝗥𝗜𝗙 → 𝗥𝗜𝗔 → 𝗥𝗣𝗙
That organisational continuity is an important but often overlooked chapter of Rohingya political history.
𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗩𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗗𝗜𝗗 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗙𝗔𝗜𝗟 𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗬.
Some may criticise our veterans today. Some may question their strategies, their decisions or their political limitations. History allows us to debate all of these things.
But criticism must never erase contribution.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗼𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘆𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Whatever shortcomings they had, their advocacy, political organisation and resistance helped preserve the political question of the Rohingya and carried it beyond the borders of Arakan.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘆𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.
It was built, in part, upon decades of political advocacy, organisation, documentation and resistance by generations before us.
𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗗𝗜𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗘?
It did not close easily.
The disappearance of Rohingya political representation was part of a much deeper political transformation: the collapse of democratic space, military rule, restrictions on political organisations, discriminatory policies and the gradual exclusion of Rohingyas from Myanmar's political institutions.
The RPF itself later experienced serious internal divisions, and the older political-resistance structure eventually gave way to new organisations, factions and political strategies.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀.
Why did a community that once produced parliamentarians and political leaders lose its representation?
Why did a generation of educated Rohingya political leaders gradually disappear from the national political system?
What happened between the era of parliamentary representation and the era of displacement and statelessness?
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆.
We should not remember our veterans only when we need their names.
𝗪𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.
We must understand their achievements, acknowledge their mistakes, investigate the circumstances in which their political chapter was closed, and learn why their generation could not complete its mission.
Because the history of the Rohingya people is not only a history of suffering.
𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗮 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.
Our veterans opened pages.
Our generation must read them.
And the next generation must write the next chapter—with greater political wisdom, unity, dignity and determination.
𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻. 𝗜𝘁 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱.
Note: There are any gaps or misinterpreted messages, please messages that guide me not criticism.
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