The Split Story by Sein Win, Chief Editor, The Guardian is a book that discuss the split story of the Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League (AFPFL). Historically, AFPFL consists of left-wing political parties such as Communist Party of Burma, Socialist Party of Burma, and Burma Independence Army. Later, Burma Independence Army got dissolved and a fraction of it became the official military army of the nation. Communist Party of Burma became the rebel against both AFPFL government and the military. As a result, Socialist Party of Burma became the influential political party with minority of independent members of AFPFL. U Nu, one of the independent members of AFPFL who is not affiliated with Socialist Party of Burma became the chairman of AFPFL and became the Prime Minister of the nation. Even though U Nu was an independent member of AFPFL, he managed to influence a fraction of Socialist Party of Burma. As a result, the other fraction of Socialist Party of Burma collaborated with the socialist-leaned military generals and conducted a coup against U Nu's AFPFL government in 1959. That's the beginning of the socialist nightmare for Burma, later with the development of BSPP (Burma Socialist Programme Party) under the leadership of General Ne Win.
The Split Story, an account of the rise and fall of Burma’s strongest national Front, the Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League (AFPFL), was originally serialized in the Guardian Daily in January—February 1959; and it was not intended to be printed in a book form. But owing to popular demand by the Guardian readers, who insisted that the serial should be printed in a book form so that this historical account acquires a more permanent nature, the serial has been revised and presented in this book form.
The whole work is an objective study of the post-independent political development in Burma, with special emphasis on the AFPFL in the country; and the account is based mainly on records and on personal observations of the writer after interviews on the subject with a number of leaders from both sides of the two political camps after the split in the AFPFL.
The writer has no favour nor malice towards any organisation or individual in presenting these facts as observed by him.
Sein Win, Chief Editor, The Guardian
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