Chairman of State Administration Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Maha Thray Sithu Min Aung Hlaing addresses Passing-out Parade of the 64th Intake of Defence Services Academy
NAY PYI TAW December 2
The Passing-out Parade of the 64th Intake of Defence Services Academy was held at the parade ground of DSA in PyinOoLwin this morning with an address by Chairman of State Administration Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Maha Thray Sithu Min Aung Hlaing.
Also present at the ceremony together with the Senior General were wife Daw Kyu Kyu Hla,Chief of General Staff (Army,Navy and Air) General Thiri Pyanchi Maung Maung Aye and wife, Commander-in-Chief (Navy) Admiral Zeya Kyawhtin Moe Aung and wife, Commander-in-Chief (Air) General Zeya Kyawhtin Tun Aung and wife, senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, Union ministers, the chief minister of Mandalay Region and wife, the commander of Central Command, military attaches of foreign missions in Myanmar, the DSA commandant, officials of PyinOoLwin Station, officer instructors and faculty members of the academic wing and training wing of DSA, who are the guardians of the cadets, and guests.
First, the cadet companies saluted the Senior General with slow-march past and quickmarch past. The Senior General presented Best Cadet Award to Cadet No. 35035 Cadet Tun Lin Kyaw, Excellent Award in Training to Cadet No. 35042 Cadet Nay Lin Soe, Excellent Award in Studies (Arts) to Cadet No. 34985 Cadet Zwe Nyi Min Paing, Excellent Award in Studies (Science) to Cadet No. 35214 Cadet Myo Min Aung and Excellent Award in Studies (Computer Science) to Cadet No. 35224 Cadet Thurein Soe.
In his address, the Senior General said the nurture of military junior leaders in pursuit of the aim of the academy “To produce well-rounded and calibred officers for Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air)” is to serve the state responsibility as the fundamental task in the respective units. Our Tatmadaw came into existence in parallel with the Independence struggle. Tatmadaw was initially established by General Aung San, the father of Tatmadaw as Burma Independence Army (BIA) and then it was subsequently transformed into Burma Defence Army (BDA), Burma National Army (BNA), Patriotic Burmese Force (PBF) and Burma Army. Tatmadaw being a vanguard of the people made a tryst with destiny for Independence in the full measure since the repulsion to colonialists and the anti-fascist movement.
The nurture of comrades in the Defence Services Academy to shoulder state responsibility is just a basic concept. And it has to be implemented by using the composure of the practical life and that accumulation in the respective designation.
Consequently, comrades need to practise the sixteen characteristics of leadership promulgated by Tatmadaw.
It is needed to precisely abide by not only military procedures,rules and regulations as military personnel but also laws and orders of the country as a citizen. Furthermore, every single individual also has to abide by the law of war being practised by the international society. Tatmadaw would be in full strength and the trustworthiness of all ethnicity could also be achieved through self-discipline. Comrades, therefore, are to uplift ways of living with the act of being respectful towards promulgated rules and regulations, good morale and morality, and obedience. Furthermore, I would like to urge that the virtuous traditions of Tatmadaw being stood as a well-disciplined institution and the best exemplification of discipline are to be constantly preserved.
Our Tatmadaw personnel are the ones who vow the Four Oaths every day. I would like to urge that it is necessary to protect the country with a sturdy nationalistic fervour nevertheless whosoever is tempted to destroy our Tatmadaw with the incitements. The ongoing training is going to be practised to fulfil the physical prowess and similarly, the lifelong learning on the branches of literature dealing with knowledge and catering to aesthetic enjoyment is needed to be dedicated to achieving the mental prowess.
As knowledge and literacy gained from the books and branches of literature can enrich the mindset of the comrades, morale and morality will be consequently improved via self-control. Training is the cornerstone for a capable army as well as the most essential task for our Tatmadaw. As the training motto goes “Harder Training, Less Casualty”, it is needed to strive for well-trained personnel. In pursuit of the Tatmadaw’s training policy “Be Fit, Be Competent, Be Bold”, I would like to urge comrades to keep on practising to achieve physical and mental fitness.Therefore, according to the motto – “Competency, Confidence and Bravery towards Victory”, I would like to urge you to emphasize training but not to belittle it since it is the key to success. Our Tatmadaw usually up-holds “Our Three Main National Causes” – “Non-disintegration of the Union, Non-disintegration of the National Solidarity and Perpetuation of the National Sovereignty”, and remains steadfast in its commitment to the Three Principal Duties –“Duty to defend the Nation, Duty to undergo training, Duty to serve the interests of the people”.
Let the country be led by any political system and government, Tatmadaw keeps on upholding Our Three Main National Causes as a national policy. National defence means safeguarding the lives and property of the people at the bottom line and safeguarding Our Three Main National Causes denoted as the national duty at the utmost, and military personnel are shouldering defence duty with their consent for the sake of communal interests. According to Section 20 (f) 2008 Constitution, Tatmadaw is mainly responsible for safeguarding Our Three Main National Causes and the Constitution. Tatmadaw is going to serve those duties as a Guardian for the betterment of the country and the ethnic people within.
According to the 2008 Constitution, Tatmadaw is mainly responsible for safeguarding the Constitution, Our Three Main National Causes, and the genuine and disciplined multiparty democratic system. Therefore, Tatmadaw’s preventive measures in law against all misconducts leading to failing the constitution being referred to as the soul of the country and multiparty democratic system are the shouldering of obligatory responsibility.
During the temporary acceptance of the state responsibility,Tatmadaw formed the State Administration Council and laid down the Five-Point Road Map and the Nine Objectives for the development of the country in all sectors. I would like to say that Tatmadaw puts strenuous efforts upon two-national agendas; the prosperous identity of the country and food self-sufficiency, and takes new steps towards achieving peace starting this year as the agenda for the perpetuation of national sovereignty and peace.
It is unquestionable that our Tatmadaw fostered the multiparty democratic system desired by the people. Despite some divergent views in politics between the government and our Tatmadaw after the multiparty democratic system, our Tatmadaw with an aim of the development of the country collaborated with the government to strengthen the multiparty democratic system. After the temporary acceptance of the state responsibility in 2021 according to emergencies ignited by politics, Tatmadaw took action against the mischievous people towards the country.
Those courses of legal action were only taken for the violation of the law without taking the political means into account. It is witnessed that no one is above the law.
Some people already taken by legal action were granted the entitlement of commutation and amnesty to be able to collaborate on the development of the country. These acts were carried out by the state in a decent manner for the betterment of the country. Our Independence would have reached 75 years of tenure on the upcoming 4th of January.
A variety of government bodies and administrative systems have been practised to build the country since the Post-Independence. The efforts of any assigned duties for the betterment of the country were etched in the annals of history. Therefore, the country with a heartfelt appreciation conferred honorary awards, titles and medals to those who devoted themselves to the betterment of the country throughout 75 years. No matter how different the views are, they are the ones who contributed to the betterment of the country.
It can be witnessed that different administrative systems have been practised for a 75 year-tenure. Through historical experience, it is not enough to foster a multiparty democratic system alone in our nation-building, and it can be seen that the building of a Union system in the oneness of opportunity through a peaceful co-existence of multi-ethnicity is the most reliable system for our country. Thus, it is needed to build the Union based on the democratic and federal system.
Democracy is a system of governmentchosen by all the eligible members of the state, typically through elected representatives. The federal system is a concept of dividing up the authoritative power on concerted efforts of the ethnic groups from different regions and states and is also a system of living in unison and sharing equal opportunities.
In a definition of the Union system based on the democratic and federal system, the administrative system selected by the people in the Union is meant for living in unison and the entitlement of adopting legislation in the respective states and regions according to the Constitution.
It is needed to abide by the Constitution and promulgated laws regardless of the status of the person, institution and designations. The fundamental to underpin the genuine and disciplined multiparty democratic system is to hold a free and fair multi-party democratic general election. The administrative mechanism of the country has to be operated by the establishment of respective Hluttaws and government bodies according to electoral results.
Therefore, I would like to leave a word that the eligible candidates are required to be elected on behalf of the respective ethnic groups, regions and social stratification in forthcoming elections, and the election is needed to be held without any space left across the country. The State Administration Council is trying to design nationbuilding as a national affair, but not meant for politics.
In the unpeaceful regions, not only the development will be far apart but the economy, social life, health and education of inhabitants will also be lagged far behind. It is known that there is no racial discrimination at all in our Tatmadaw composed of multi-ethnicity, and the development of the country and the socio-economy of the ethnicity are of main concern to Tatmadaw.
Being laid down the Six Peace Principles to achieve internal peace, therefore, our Tatmadaw together with the government and the people made a strenuous effort on achieving peace with Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) based on the true Union Spirit. In the implementation of the peace process, the basis of two agendas; the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) and the 2008 Constitution are being fundamentally conducted. In the discussion and peace dialogue with EAOs to promote the peace process in a practical way, the absolute necessity for the region and country is being negotiated through the Union Spirit. Satisfactory results have been achieved for the country and people through those dialogues.
Since it will be performed in accord with two political agendas; the strengthening of the genuine and disciplined multi-party democratic system, and the democratic and federal system, our Tatmadaw cordially invited to pave the way to non-signatory EAOs in NCA. Therefore, I would like to urge comrades to embrace Our Three Main National Causes policy and to partake in any assigned tasks while achieving nationwide everlasting peace for the establishment of the Union based on the integration of the democratic and federal system.
As would-be junior leaders, all should practise in act of the good qualities of leadership and abide by the law, order, duty and regulations and should put an effort to become the well-rounded and calibred leaders of the future uplifting the prestige of the academy.
After taking salute from the cadet companies, the Senior General left the parade ceremony.
After the parade ceremony, the Senior General met with five cadets who won outstanding awards at the parlour of the headquarters of the DSA and spoke words of honour.
In his praise of the outstanding cadets, the Senior General said that they won the outstanding awards as they had tried very hard for the past four years in their educational and military lessons and good discipline. They must maintain their good basic habits of exercising self-control and having good discipline and continue to try hard for the rest of their life.
They must continue to make efforts and exercise self-control, so that they will not to lose sight of their individual goal and can protect the country and Tatmadaw from facing losses as the goal can be lost before reaching it for the failure to continue their efforts.
Only good leaders can lead a country and armed forces and they must work in cooperation with the subordinates. So, they must maintain the good results of their training throughout their life. After being commissioned, they must exercise self-control as the under-training period has ended. Self-control is important, and lack of self-control will lead to immense losses.
As parents of the outstanding cadets are farmers or ordinary persons, cadets must pay back the debt of gratitude they owe to their parents who had nurtured them to become outstanding. They must never forget the gratitude they owe to Tatmadaw and DSA which had trained them to become junior military leaders during the four-year period. They should listen to their parents as it amounts to paying back their gratitude they owe to them. Likewise, having self-control and discipline also amount to paying back their gratitude they owe to the country and Tatmadaw. They must never forget the Three Gems. They must stay away from exercising self-indulgence. They must live as models in leading their subordinates.