Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing addresses SAC meeting 6/2022
NAY PYI TAW July 21
State Administration Council held its meeting 6/2022 at the SAC Chairman’s Office in Nay Pyi Taw this morning, addressed by Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
Also present were SAC Vice Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win, SAC members General Mya Tun Oo, Admiral Tin Aung San, Lt-Gen Moe Myint Tun, Mahn Nyein Maung, U Thein Nyunt, U Khin Maung Swe, Daw Aye Nu Sein, Jeng Phang Naw Taung, U Moung Har, U Sai Lon Hsai, Saw Daniel, Dr Banya Aung Moe, U Shwe Kyein and Lt-Gen Yar Pyae, Secretary Lt-Gen Aung Lin Dway, Joint Secretary Lt-Gen Ye Win Oo.
Relations between politics and security situation The Senior General said SAC assumed the State duties only after declaring the State of emergency in accord with the Constitution, and it was not a coup. It is carrying out the entrusted administration, legislation and judicial matters in accord with the Constitution and existing laws. There were no disturbances during the initial period. They appeared after 3 February and later turned into terrorism. The degree of terrorism could be mitigated through security, administration and organizational channels.
Terrorism control measures have been taken according to the law. Ministry of Home Affairs is curbing terrorism and Tatmadaw is carrying out the national defence duty and counter insurgency operations.
Except from very few places, police played the main role in solving the problem of terrorism occurred in 2021. As the country is a democracy, the extent of military rule has been reduced to the most possible level.
PDF terrorists raised by terrorist NUG and CRPH are committing murders and bomb attacks and they are killing monks, nuns, administrative personnel, security members and families and innocent people for no reason. Eighty-seven percent of the country’s population is Buddhists. Up to 20 July, 70 persons of the religious order faced PDF terrorist attacks, and of them 52 monks and one nun died, nine others were wounded and another eight were missing. The largest number of monk or nun killings occurred in Sagaing Region.
Largest number of monks and nuns are taking part in Buddhist retreat at Sagaing Hills. Sagaing Region has the largest Buddhist population and earliest Buddhist history, but the largest number of Buddhist monks and nuns were facing terrorist attacks in it. Magway Region is also facing the same situation.
A total of 93 education staff faced PDF terrorist attacks, and of them 47 died, 21 were wounded and 25 were missing.
The largest number of education staff killings occurred in Sagaing and Magway regions.
People needs higher level of knowledge Government started to reopen the schools in July last year as the State, students and parents faced losses due to the closure of schools. It also held the matriculation examination and released the results. This year’s school enrolment rate reached 76 percent of the pre-COVID-19 period. Although the number of primary students is high, it falls in the middle school and high school levels. So, inclusive education promotion activities should be carried out with might and main.
Some school age children miss the chance to enroll due to lack of regional stability and peace and security measures.
Likewise, some students did not enroll and learn at the government basic education schools due to political trend.
Due to information given a dutiful local, Myittha Township Assistant Education Officer (CDM) Kaung Thaik Soe and three others who operated Kaung For You high school with CDM education staff were arrested with prostitutes in Aungban on 13 July. According to their confession, the related persons were also exposed. Some of them were taken action. The list of students who enrolled at the school was also taken. But, students do not have political knowledge. So, the government will not take action against the students and parents. The government is making utmost efforts to reopen the remaining schools. Education sector aims to turn out human resources for the State. No matter what students learn education at any schools, they must have knowledge to be able to stand on their own after completion of learning. So, parents of students and officials need to consider all measures.
COVID-19 vaccines have been given to more than 5,820,000 students between aged 5 and 18. More than 35,830,000 people have been injected the COVID- 19 vaccines in the entire nation.
The people, accounting for 99 percent, in smooth transport and administrative facilities have been injected. Efforts are being made to continue vaccination to the people from remaining areas. COVID-19 infection rate decline much in the country. Internal infection is lesser but infection of disease from the people who returned home can be seen.
Need for economic growth The government adopted the basic policies for economic development of the nation. The first priority mentions to enhance production based on agriculture and livestock through modern techniques and strengthen all-round development in other sectors of the economy, the second to develop a stable market economy and promote international investment in order to enhance the economic development of the entire National people and the third to promote and support local businesses to create employment opportunities and increase domestic production.
Myanmar has been engaging in production based on agriculture and livestock since yore. In the past, foodstuff and consumer products were manufactured at home and exported. In the socialist era, the economic system was changed. Some sectors did not have success on the economic trend. So, the country became the importer from the exporter. There are populous countries among neighbouring countries. If Myanmar exports the products based in agriculture and livestock farms to these countries, it will contribute much to economy of the people and the State. Prioritizing the production based on agriculture and livestock farms is for 70 percent population of the people residing in the rural areas engaging in such businesses. It can be seen that the number of educated people in rural area is lesser than that of urban area. Despite having larger number of human resources, the number of skilled labour related to the agriculture and livestock sector is lesser.
efforts are being made to create chances for students to learn higher education based on agriculture and livestock sector and to engage in production.
The country is teeming with rivers and creeks where agriculture and livestock farms can be operated. The volume of freshwater is larger, and some places use freshwater in agriculture tasks and the cultivable lands are sufficient. Hence, agriculture and livestock tasks can be carried out successfully. There are some 33 million acres of cultivable lands in the nation on which rice, beans, maize, sesame and cotton are grown.
Other perennial crops such as rubber, oil palm and coconut are also cultivated. Rice, beans, maize, sesame and cotton are grown as single crop in some areas.
Mixed cropping and high yield will improve agricultural income thereby contributing to the socio-economy of farmers.
Thus, agricultural and livestock breeding tasks must be carried out until success is achieved.
The SAC will take effective measures for rural development, so the Ministry of Cooperatives and Rural Development was separately established.
Due to increased import of edible oil in the past, measures were taken for maintenance of oil crops and exportation. Famers have the right to grow and sell their crops freely. If efforts are made in the national interest through associations like the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, farmers will be able to sell their products freely and help improve the national income.
Regarding the matter of education promotion to economic growth based on agriculture and livestock breeding, the Senior General said: “As regards education promotion, as I have said earlier, most people have completed primary and middle school education. Only the minority have completed high and higher school education.
This is why I see that special emphasis must be placed on promoting education in rural areas and states. As per the constitution, primary education is compulsory. However, this is not enough. To catch up with the modern world, primary education is not enough at all. So, as the currently government, we are encouraging the completion of KG+9 or ninth standard or middle school education as a free education. If that’s so, rural areas will see skilled labourers and moderately educated people.
If they can be turned out, that will facilitate the businesses they will be running. There are 127 districts. As the first wave, we have discussed with related ministries about opening of about 50 technical high schools for agriculture and livestock breeding. It is also necessary to appoint agricultural and veterinary graduates. We are also planning to assign those from the Agriculture Department and Livestock and Veterinary Department as assistant teachers. If we can do this, I hope that our country will produce a lot of skilled labourers. It is of my view that we must do business based on agriculture and livestock breeding.”
“This is not perfect either. Private sector is import. We are just doing to train human resources. And it is the private sector that is responsible for that. Meanwhile, the government has to pave the way for getting inputs such as water sources, fertilizers, and seeds. This is related to agriculture. For livestock also, we have to acquire animal food, medicines, water sources and pedigrees. Government involvement will be for a certain period. So, the SAC will be prioritizing agriculture and livestock breeding.” Need for boosting cotton cultivation The country has over 240,000 acres of cotton plantations.
From cotton high-quality textile can be produced. But, there is no such capability. This is why technical cooperation is being sought with foreign countries.
If cotton can be cultivated successfully in Myanmar, the people will be able to buy clothes more conveniently and contributions can be made to the economy by carrying out quality garment industries by using locally produced cotton.
It is necessary to promote the living standards of rural people It is found that living standards of people residing in rural areas in respective states and regions are lower than those of other countries. Their living standards are low because there are weaknesses in the socioeconomic lives of rural people. Therefore, socio-economic lives of rural people can be enhanced by successfully carrying out agriculture and livestock breeding tasks.
When their socio-economic lives have been improved, it is necessary to upgrade their houses and to produce enough cement needed for construction of houses at home. There are sufficient raw materials to produce cement locally in Myanmar.
The government will offer necessary assistance to operate cement factories to their full capacities.
If local entrepreneurs and national race businessmen make efforts to produce iron and steel rods used in construction, the government is ready to offer assistance to them. As cement and steel, which are essential for the construction industry, are important for promoting the living standards of the country, the two construction-materials can be produced locally, and the country will achieve progress dramatically.
Sufficient electricity supply plays an important role in raising living standards. Electricity can be generated from hydropower, natural gas and coal as well as from renewable energy like solar energy. As countries around the world are trying to minimize the emission of carbon dioxide in generating electricity, Myanmar is trying to minimizethe emission of carbon dioxide.
Therefore, it will be beneficial to utilize renewable energy, which contributes to the reduction of emission of carbon dioxide in Myanmar. Hydropower projects can be implemented on rivers. There are many sites along the Maykha, Malikha,
Ayeyawady, Shweli, Chindwin, Tarpain and Thanlwin rivers.
Therefore, it is necessary to successfully implement projects to generate electricity from hydropower, a source of renewable energy.
Similarly, the central part of the country receives rain for only 100 days a year. Therefore, more electricity can be generated in the summer if solar power projects are implemented in the region. Wind power projects can also be implemented in coastal areas. It is necessary for the government to carry out electricity generation tasks and the government is ready to offer assistance to private entrepreneurs to enable them to generate electricity.
Efforts for lasting peace To achieve lasting peace, invitations have been made since 22 April. Seven signatories and three non-signatories to the NCA responded to join peace talks and negotiations were held with nine ethnic armed organizations. Talks will be held with another EAO soon. During the negotiations, adopting the multi-party democracy system aspired by the people and building the union based on democracy and federalism were discussed and agreements were reached.
Necessary negotiations are being made to satisfy the demands and their actual needs. Other EAOs that wanted to take part in peace talks were also invited again and if they join the talks, the future politics of the country will be perfect.
Then, the Senior General explained the ceremony to consecrate and hoist the diamond orb and pennant-shaped vane atop the replica of the Shwezegon Pagoda in Atanami World Culture City in Kaluga State in the Russian Federation during a working visit.
Besides the meetings with military and civilian officials, the Senior General and party went and studied landmarks, universities and factories in the Russian Federation and held talks to strengthen goodwill relations and cooperation in culture, military technology, science and technology, research, human resources, tourism and economic development and others. Despite a short business trip, it was successful to be able to hold talks helpful to interests of the State.
Then, the Council members presented and discussed reports on forming Myanmar-Russia goodwill associations and organizations, conducting a wide range of educational tasks for the people of both countries to know about culture and history of each of them, nurturing the youths systematically for the future State, identifying private schools going off the course of the education policy and taking action against them, promoting primary school teachers as quick as possible and posting them in the places they are needed, expanding teak plantations helpful to interests of the State and weather with plans, taking preventive measures on eradication of drug abuses among the youths, measures to be planned and taken by state and region governments to fulfill the needs of rural health centres, teaching subjects on moral characters at high schools for the youths not to be off the right course, taking measures to systematically conduct measures of checking national scrutiny cards at checkpoints and ticket counters of bus lines.
Regarding the reports, the Senior General said forming goodwill organizations between the two countries would be helpful to tourism industries of both. It is being expanded to send scholars for the sectors of science, technology, education and health. Youth development projects will be established and conducted with a system on a volunteering basis. Scrutiny will be conducted and action will be taken against private schools that are being operated without being in accordance with the education policy. Measures are being taken to reinforce staff at health centres and currently, and they have been reinforced with housemen and nurses. In agriculture, copy yields are different depending
on use of natural fertilizer and chemical fertilizer. Through combining and using those kinds of fertilizer proportionately, there will be an increase in crop yields, and so research work is to be conducted to be able to mainly use natural fertilizer. It is necessary to move forward to a practical agriculture system as well as a modern livestock farming system. Tasks are being taken to upgrade rail tracks for the routes between Yangon and the cities of Pyay, Mandalay and Mawlamyine and have more runs on the routes.
Regarding EAOs, talks are being held without pre-conditions, and connections are being established to hold talks with other organizations. Students and youths are being taught civics and the 38 Buddhist Wisdoms, and they will be taught the essence of democracy as well. Tasks necessary for promotion and propagation of the Sasana are being carried out. Pre-emptive measures for eradication of narcotic drugs are being taken as a national duty. Plans are being implemented to cultivate good seeds of teak across the country to boost teak plantations. Reviews will be made to be able to enact a law on records of historic persons.