Aung San Suu Kyi isn't perfect

As 'The Lady' is set to defeat the ruling government in a historical victory, Sophy Ridge celebrates the heroic leader - and her flaws

She's done it.

It looks like Myanmar's ruling party has conceded defeat in the country's first free elections in 25 years. Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition is on course to form a government (she's said "I think you all have the idea of the results") - and the story of Burma's journey from military dictatorship to fledgling democracy may finally have a happy ending.

If there is a living icon of democracy, it is a slight, elderly woman with flowers in her hair.

Aung San Suu Kyi has a cult-like status after spending 15 years under house arrest in Rangoon. Separated from her family and ultimately her dying husband, it was a heavy punishment for her efforts to bring democracy to the military-ruled country.

When she was finally released from captivity in November 2010 it was a watershed moment for freedom in Burma, comparable to Nelson Mandela's release from a South African prison in February 1990. Now this 70-year-old grandmother has lived to see her own party overthrow the military backed Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) in a purely peaceful manner: at the ballot box.

No wonder the saintly Aung San Suu Kyi is a pin up for democracy. But are you ready for some pedestal smashing?

The woman known simply as "the lady" is gentle but steely, wronged but faithful. She has an angelic beauty and a winning femininity.

Inevitably, she will fail to live up to expectations. In fact, a fissure has already started between the perfect image of Aung San Suu Kyi and the reality of one of the world's leading female politicians.

Her management of the National League for Democracy (NLD) has been criticised as autocratic and she has failed to sufficiently speak up for the oppressed Muslims who live in Myanmar.

But let's face it. Perfect ladies don't make history. It's gritty, ruthless, single-minded men and women who force change to happen. Aung San Suu Kyi's flaws perfectly equip her for the tough world of politics.

Yes, the NLD is crying out for an organisational overhaul and many democracy campaigners are desperate for Aung San Suu Kyi to consult more widely. But this is Myanmar - and leaders need to be tough.

Her failure to speak up for oppressed Muslims is a more difficult charge to explain away. In the last few years, thousands of the Rohingyas - who predominantly live near the border with Bangladesh - have seen their homes confiscated by the security forces.

Others have been forced into unpaid labour. Their citizenship is contested, they are not allowed to move freely around the country and must ask permission to marry. If the government grants permission, they are only allowed to have two children.

In a country that is 90 per cent Buddhist, sympathy for the million Rohingyas is hard to find - even from human rights campaigner Suu Kyi. When she was asked about their situation at a recent press conference, she told journalists not to "exaggerate" the problems.It may be that is a hard-nosed (or cold-hearted?) political decision.

A public figure seen as favouring Muslims could have been punished at the ballot box. Supporting a discriminated against minority has many risks, and few upsides. After all, the Rohingyas were barred from voting in the election.Does this excuse her failure to speak up? Not at all, more is expected from a Nobel Peace Prize winner.The most generous argument could be that Aung San Suu Kyi is determined to do her best to make life easier for the Muslims in Burma - but she can only carry out change once her party has been elected.

A less sympathetic reading could be that she has a blind spot when it comes to the suffering and discrimination suffered by this particular minority group.It won't be long before the saintly image of Aung San Suu Kyi is tarnished by the grit of reality.

But context is everything.

To understand the forces that Suu Kyi is up against, just consider the fact that she is still banned from running for President.

Why? Her two sons hold British passports (Suu Kyi met her husband while she was studying at Oxford University.) The quickly passed law is just one example of the lengths her opponents are prepared to go to keep her from wielding political power.

Remember, too, that this is just the start of the next chapter in Myanmar's bloody story. The NLD must now negotiate a power sharing agreement with the armed forces, who still get one in four parliamentary seats under the constitution.

The military is guaranteed key government posts and they can even take over the running of the country in some circumstances.

Now is not the time for a saint. Myamar needs a leader who is flawed, tough and unbreakable. Aung San Suu Kyi is that person - and I for one am bloody glad she is.

-Telegraph UK