Auspicious creature: A caretaker feeding a a white elephant, traditionally treasured in the predominantly Buddhist nation and believed to herald good fortune, near the Kyaut Thaw Gyi Pagoda in Yangon. — AFP
THOUGH it is a pariah on the world stage and battling fierce domestic opposition to its rule, Myanmar’s junta has found grounds for optimism – the birth of a rare albino elephant.
Since seizing power, the junta has crushed democracy protests, jailed ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and been accused of committing war crimes in its bid to quell dissent.
But the birth of the elephant – more milky-grey than white – in western Rahkine state last year is being portrayed by junta-controlled media as fortuitous.
Ancient rulers regarded white elephants as extremely auspicious, and their appearance was taken as a symbol of righteous political power.The pachyderm will feature on a special postage stamp released this week to mark the 75th anniversary of Myanmar’s independence from Britain, state media said on Tuesday.
A set of gold commemorative coins bearing the animal’s image is also being cast for the occasion.
The tusker tot’s highest-profile engagement so far was a meeting with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing in October, when he bestowed it a name at a televised ceremony.“Rattha Nandaka” comes from the ancient Pali words for “country” and “happiness”.
To bolster the credentials of its newfound good omen, state media has insisted the beast has an almost impeccable pedigree.
According to the experts quoted, it possesses seven of the eight standard traits for an albino elephant, including “pearl-coloured eyes” and a “plantain branch-shaped back”.
Rattha Nandaka will spend its days in a special compound for white elephants in the military-built capital Naypyidaw.
But with swathes of the country still ravaged by fighting and the junta widely reviled, its birth has been met with public scepticism.
“It seems like they forgot to put suncream on,” one netizen wrote of the baby elephant’s more grey than albino appearance. “Now it’s black.”
Black or white, another wrote, the baby was “now a prisoner”. — AFP
