Ba Swe
| Ba Swe ဘဆွေ |
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|---|---|
 |
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| 2nd Prime Minister of Union of Myanmar | |
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In office 12 June 1956 – 25 February 1957 |
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| Preceded by | U Nu |
| Succeeded by | U Nu |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
17 October 1915 Tavoy, British Burma |
| Died | 6 December 1987 (aged 72) Yangon, Myanmar |
| Nationality | Burmese |
| Political party | AFPFL |
| Spouse(s) | Nu Nu Swe |
| Children | Nay Nwe Ba Swe Nay Myo Ba Swe Nay Kyi Ba Swe Nay Tun Ba Swe Nay Yee Ba Swe Nay Bala Ba Swe Nay Nyunt Ba Swe Nay Phoo Ba Swe Nay Si Ba Swe Nay Min Ba Swe |
| Alma mater | Rangoon University |
| Occupation | Former Prime Minister, Politician |
| Religion | Theravada Buddhism |
Ba Swe (Burmese: ဘဆွေ, pronounced: [ba̰ sʰwè]; 17 October 1915 – 6 December 1987) was the second Premier of Burma. He was a leading Burmese politician during the decade after the country gained its independence from Britain in 1948. He held the position of prime minister from 12 June 1956 to 28 February 1957. When Ba Swe became prime minister, Time magazine reported the news in an article titled: 'The Day of the Tiger' based on his nickname 'Big Tiger' (Kyah gyi Ba Swe) since his university days in the 1930s as a student leader.
His name was often paired with the name of another famous student leader as Ba Hein and Ba Swe, both Thakins or members of the nationalist Dobama Asiayone (We Burmans Association) and were arrested by the British colonial government during the year of countrywide protests, demonstrations and strikes in 1938 known as the "1300 Revolution" (Htaung thoun ya byei ayeidawbon named after the Burmese calendar year). Ba Hein became a founder member of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) in 1939 and shortly afterwards Ba Swe and Ba Hein among others founded the People's Revolutionary Party (PRP), renamed the Burma Socialist Party after the war. Ba Swe was also known for his penchant for wearing dark glasses.
In 1942, Ba Swe married Nu Nu Swe, daughter of U Hlaing Phyu, the owner of mining and lands in Palaw Township, Mergui District. They had ten children.
Ba Swe assumed the premiership in the aftermath of the parliamentary elections held in early 1956. Though the ruling Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL – hpa hsa pa la) was returned the leftist coalition of parties known as the National United Front (NUF – pa ma nya ta) won 37% of the vote. The number of NUF seats in Parliament was increased. However, on account of the 'first-past-the-post' electoral system, the NUF's representation in the Burmese Parliament was not reflected in the seats that it obtained. Still, the 1956 election results came as a shock to the AFPFL government. U Nu, the Prime Minister at the time, temporarily relinquished his office in order to devote full-time to reorganizing and strengthening the AFPFL. Ba Swe, as a deputy of U Nu in the AFPFL and leader of the Socialist Party, took over the job from U Nu. After less than nine months U Nu resumed office as Prime Minister on 28 February 1957.
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