Maung Lu Hmwe – Those Who Mock Righteousness (Essay)
MoeMaKa, March 22, 2026
Last year, a young comrade who was close to Maung Lu Hmwe had to return from the frontlines after suffering partial paralysis. While deployed, he had to sleep on the ground for months, and that once-strong soldier ended up paralyzed on one side of his body. His family had no means to afford modern medical treatment. They relied only on traditional remedies available in the village.
When he recovered enough to return to his battalion, he met Maung Lu Hmwe. Maung Lu Hmwe gave him a small amount of money he could spare, and the young comrade said, “Sir, please take care of your health.” In truth, it was Maung Lu Hmwe who felt worried for him, given his condition. Now, it is said that he has already returned to the frontline area.
That young comrade’s family is very poor. They live in the forest and survive through manual labor. When they can, they gather and sell mushrooms during the rainy season. When they run out of rice, they have to borrow from a nearby hut. The family that helps them is also one that lost their own son—a fallen comrade who served in the same unit and came from the same village. That shared bond is why they support each other.
Within about five miles around their area, there used to be gambling dens set up in the forest, where people played card games. Even vendors selling goods there were said to make plenty of money. Hearing this, Maung Lu Mwe felt deeply troubled. He also wondered how much suffering families like theirs must have endured. For now, he hears that those gambling circles have disappeared, which brings some relief. Yet, injustice had been openly mocking righteousness from a distance.
In revolutionary areas, there are people practicing wrongdoing who openly mock those who sacrificed their lives upholding righteousness. Not far from places where dozens of resistance fighters had fallen, some individuals secretly transported supplies to military-controlled villages that were blockaded by resistance forces. They traded the dignity of fallen comrades for money. They delivered supplies to those who had killed their own comrades—all for profit. Such acts of mocking righteousness have gone on for years.
Recently, strong winds and storms destroyed shelters of displaced people in the forest. Their food supplies were soaked and ruined. Having fled villages burned down by the military, they now struggle in the forests without receiving any help. Yet within a ten-mile radius of those forest areas, nearby villages are lively with gambling—dice games, cockfights, and even hidden card dens. Those who engage in such immoral acts cruelly mock those who endure hardship while standing for righteousness.
In truth, openly running gambling operations in revolutionary areas is a grave insult to the sons and daughters of the people who gave their lives to secure those lands, and to the civilians who supported the resistance with everything they had. Those who justify gambling in the name of the revolution are, in Maung Lu Hmwe’s view, insulting the parents of fallen fighters and the poor who contributed what little they could.
Dhamma means righteousness—justice. It is said that those who destroy justice will themselves be destroyed by it. Those who insult, mock, or undermine righteousness will eventually face the consequences. Even now, some of those mocking righteousness are being labeled by the public as “worse than the military junta.”
In revolutionary territories, the military can directly inflict harm mainly through airstrikes. But gambling dens are eroding the revolutionary spirit of the people from within. If those who mock righteousness cannot be stopped, it is certain that the revolution will struggle to succeed. Across towns and villages, the majority of people are longing for honest and principled leadership.