In describing the purpose of the campaign, Nay Phone Latt connects
hate speech and violent conflict in the country: “Those groups that
seem to be spreading [hate speech] intentionally greatly affect violence
and conflicts happening in our country….If people hate each other, a
place will not be safe to live. I worry about that most for our society.
In some places, although they are not fighting, hate exists within their
heart because they have poured poison into their heart for a long time
[through hate speech]. It can explode at any time” (Irrawaddy 2014).
The Pan Zagar campaign could be particularly effective because of the
way it is rooted in a Burmese idiom, and because it does not necessarily
seek to censor “hate speech” (a project that many in the country might
be skeptical of, given a history of censorship), but instead to promote
the alternative of productive speech that leads to harmony.