Strive to raise knowledge level as high individual knowledge strengths democracy and guarantees promising future
NAY PYI TAW April 9
Genuine and disciplined and democracy will be strong and the future of the State can be guaranteed only if individual knowledge and technological skill is high, said Chairman of State Administration Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing during his meeting with officers, other ranks and families of Lashio Station this afternoon.
Present together with the Senior General were his wife Daw Kyu Kyu Hla, Commanderin-Chief (Navy) Admiral Moe Aung and wife, Commanderin-Chief (Air) General Tun Aung and wife, senior military officers from Office of Commander-in-Chief, North-East Command Commander Maj-Gen Naing Naing Oo, officials and officers, other ranks and families of Lashio Station.
History of Myanmar First, the Senior General saidthis year is the Diamond Jubilee Union Day and the coming year is the Diamond Jubilee Independence Day. Although the diamond jubilees are approaching, there is no total peace in the country that is still facing internal armed conflicts. Officers, other ranks and families should know the country’s history well. The country adopted a parliamentary democracy system in 1948. The slogan during the independence struggle was “Independence first, democracy second and socialism third”. When the country regained independence, it adopted the Constitution (1947) written and passed by the National Constituent Assembly in 1947. It was not ratified by the entire people. It was written and approved with the advice of some of the experts of the assembly. The AFPFL government ruled the country during the time from 1948 to 1958.
Communists went underground in March 1948 because of the rivalry and disagreements between socialism and capitalism during the pre- and postindependence periods. Later, there appeared EAOS like the KNDO. The Tatmadaw had to drive out the Kuomintang invasion in about 1950. Ethnic armed conflicts erupted and inter problems surfaced in the ruling party because of the divide-and-rule policy of the colonialists. Myanmar was the country with the largest number of EAOs in the world then. The Tatmadaw was shouldering the task of safeguarding the Union home to the entire people invarious parts of the country. It could accomplish the task only to a certain degree. Like the saying, “Wildcats jump with joy, when the forest is on fire”,
armed disturbances broke out, and they were acting like marauders as the saying, “Every man with the sword rules his own place”.
Tatmadaw safeguarded the Union and restored peace and stability amidst the armed violence The Caretaker Government came into office in 1958 amidst the political problems, armed conflicts, and inner-party disagreements. Tatmadaw even had to solve the problem of squatters that is harming the rule of law and urban stability in paving a smooth path for the coming elected government.
AFPFL (Clean) won the 1960 elections. But further inner-party splits caused political confusion.
Holding the provisions of 1947 Constitution that allowed cessation after a ten-year period, there were demands to break away from the Union. Tatmadaw restored the situation to save the Union and national unity from disintegration. Tatmadaw did this not for its interest, but for the benefit of the country and the majority. As the country was once under the colonialists,
many of the leaders of the independence struggle were leftists and socialism-minded persons.
Even some of the Tatmadaw leaders were socialist-minded or liberal-minded. The adoption of socialism was expressed in the policy declaration of the Revolutionary Council. The decision was based on the country’s political and economic history. Myanmar rice fetched higher prices as the Korean War broke out in about 1950.
The ruling party drew the Pyitawtha Project that guaranteed a car, a concrete house and a monthly income of Ks-800 per person. But when the Korean War ended the price of rice went into a nosedive and armed conflicts appeared. As the income fell, the project met with a failure.
The ruling party had a large number of businesspersons.
As the party gave powers and positions for non-Myanmars and businesspersons to get votes there surfaced administrative problems. Tatmadaw leaders noticed the ruling party’s actions, so the country was restored for its better future.
As socialism was adopted the economic sector was nationalized.
The Revolutionary Council and Burma Socialist Programme Party governed the country from 1962 to 1988. The 1974 Constitution was approved by a national referendum in 1974.
The referendum was held after the bill of the constitution was presented to the people three times. Then a socialist nation was officially proclaimed.
The government set up the socialist system with Tatmadaw as the core. It took the cooperation of politicians, entrepreneurs and socialist supporters in establishing the BSPP. Socialism had advantages and disadvantages.
The good parts should be adopted and the international event and internal events should be compared.
The economy was in a downturn because of the weakness of socialism, and the 1988 crisis broke out. On the surface, it was a demand for democracy, but it really had a lot of background reasons.
Themachinery of the government in office came to a stop in September 1988 and the country and its sovereignty were about to collapse. Hence, Tatmadaw NAY PYI TAW April 9 Strive to raise knowledge level as high individual knowledge strengths democracy and guarantees promising future had to restore the situation. Tamadaw restored the country for the third time. Disappointments were triggered by disagreement with socialism, emotionbased instigations of non-Myanmars whose businesses were nationalized, failure to encourage private businesses and the punishments under the laws to protect the socialist economy although there was not thorough knowledge about multi-party democracy. The country also faced economic losses and ethnic armed conflicts.
Although there were peace overtures, an agreement was reached only with the KNC led by Saw Hantha Hmwe.
As the defence budget was high to solve armed conflicts, development undertakings were weak. Tatmadaw government assumed duties after 1988 and it started to write a constitution to adopt multi-party democracy in accord with the public aspiration.
The 2008 Constitution was ratified at a referendum after thorough discussions were held at the National Convention participated by six groups representing the people of all classes. Private sector was encouraged in shaping the market economy of the system.
Tatmadaw implemented the disciplined multi-party democracy without fail amidst the many disagreements. All must take the lessons of 1958, 1962 and 1988 and work for the good of the country.
In the past the country was under the monarchy system.
The whole country was loyal to the king who assigned the local leaders. It was a sovereign country. The colonialists introduced the divide-and-rule policy with prosperity and development gap and poor transport as the reason. The colonialist ruled Rakhine in 1824 and later Taninthayi under indirect administration.
After the lower Myanmar fell in 1852, the colonialists changed their ruling system. Administration system was amended again in 1886 when the whole country fell. Because of those ruling systems, ethnic peoples thought that their lands and the proper were separate places. This fact is still harming the nation till now. So, Tatmadaw ensures unity of all national people under the Union spirit. Although Bamar are majority, there were eight major ethnic races and 135 sub-races. Population difference among them is wide. Union system based on democracy and a federal system is the best for the country. Although the word ‘federal” is not included in the 2008 Constitution it has many federal procedures. It is based on the rural, and from the groups of villages towns are formed, and from towns there appear districts, regions/ states and finally the Union.
The constitution also established self-administered areas for the national people.
In the first democratic election, the democracy government led by U Thein Sein took the responsibility of the State, and the Tatmadaw worked together with the then government harmoniously. I assume that the nation’s political system must not go without a multiparty path along with federalism and accept that special consideration is to be given on ethnic affairs. According to the experience gained through the life of a Tatmadaw member, it has been understood that special consideration is to be given on ethnic affairs to ensure improvement of socio-economic life of the ethnic people and non-disintegration of national solidarity. Therefore, the Tatmadaw has been acting in accordance with the 2008 Constitution and making efforts harmoniously with the government that took office.
In doing so, I said that a simple democracy system was needed as our democracy was delicate and that the Tatmadaw just wanted a simple democracy system. Born among the people as being part of the State and the people, the Tatmadaw has been making efforts so that the multiparty democracy system, that the people want, has become strengthened.
After the 2015 General Election, it is seen that politically insincere measures were taken and used in political, economic and social areas. There had been weakness in administrative and economic sectors and the events that are not in accordance with Myanmar’s tradition came out in the cultural sector which led to disintegration of unity. Regarding the election, though it is said that there must be a need for a free and fair election, it is learnt that measures were taken in improper ways to win the election. Though the Tatmadaw made a request to address differences over the voting lists, it was not addressed.
Therefore, the Tatmadaw took the responsibilities of the State.
The Tatmadaw has defended the nation being hated time and again. What the Tatmadaw did so is to strengthen the path of multiparty democracy that the State is taking. It will not be off the path. Therefore, the Tatmadaw is acting lawfully with restraints for ensuring stability of the State. It is acting by taking lessons for not having grudges that happened in the past. The Tatmadaw is taking responsibilities at the least bloodshed with a sense of patience in order that embitterment will not be relayed to descendants.
It is needed for officials to address conflicts correctly, effectively and successfully.
They are to effectively supervise and command the organizations that they take responsibilities.
The Tatmadaw is mainly focusing on strengthening the path of multiparty democracy, ensuring a genuine and fully disciplined multiparty democracy system and building a Union based on democracy and federalism. Therefore, it is taking measures to ensure prosperity of the nation and adequate foods as the two national tasks. It is required for Tatmadaw members to understand that the Tatmadaw is taking a leading role in carrying out those tasks. Democracy is an administrative system lawfully exercised by elected persons.
It is necessary to have abilities to understand the democratic system if the democratic administration is applied. In democracy, elections are mainly important, and the voting list related to the election is collected based on the census. Such practice is applied in successive eras. Myanmar’s population growth rate is just 0.8 percent.
According to the census in 2014, there were 34.29 million eligible voters. There is one percent rise in population growth which means that there will be 340,000 only a year in adding to the eligible voters. For five years, there will be 1.7 million additional eligible voters. There might be 2 million additional eligible voters at maximum.
However, it was learnt that there were 38.27 million eligible voters for the 2020 Election. It was impossible.
There were a lot of weak points.
It is needed for citizens to have knowledge in order to exercise democracy. It is to help them understand the nature of democracy.
So, I said that education must be boosted when I am taking responsibilities. As this era is the age of IT, it should not lag behind. It is required for not only yourself but your children for improvement of knowledge. Only if there is improvement of knowledge, will there be a guarantee for the future of the State with a democracy system.
Then, the Senior General asked officers, other ranks and families if they have needs.
Next, the Senior General presented foodstuff for officers, other ranks and their families through the commander, the wife of the Senior General cash assistance for maternal and child welfare association through the wife of the commander.
After the meeting, the Senior General made traditional New Year wishes saying that as Myanmar Traditional Thingyan Festival will fall soon, all the officers, other ranks and their families would be healthy, prosperous and peaceful and discharge duties of the State and the Tamadaw with a sense of individual consideration. Then, the Senior General cordially greeted the officers, other ranks and their families.
Later, the Senior General, wife and party visited Tatmadaw members and local people receiving medical treatment at the local military hospital in Lashio, cordially met and provided them with gifts.