[Myanmar / Min Aung Hlaing / Malaysia] - The Costumed Self Seeks External Applause to Feed a Phantom of Legitimacy

Event Baseline: Myanmar's military leader Min Aung Hlaing, now president, is visiting Malaysia as part of a global tour to seek international legitimacy, his ninth stop.

The uniform is removed, but the self remains the same. The general seeks recognition from the world to confirm that the phantom of his presidency is real. He does not see that legitimacy cannot be given; it must be perceived. The act of wearing civilian clothes is a costume change to deceive both the audience and himself. This is the classic operation of the fragmented self: it believes a change in appearance is a change in being. The quest for external validation is the engine of authoritarianism. Until the leader sees that the 'self' seeking legitimacy is the same self that ordered violence, he will continue to tour the world while his country burns.