Message sent by Chairman of State Administration Council of Republic of Union of Myanmar Prime Minister Senior General Thadoe Maha Thray Sithu Thadoe Thiri Thudhamma Min Aung Hlaing to the ceremony to mark the 103rd Anniversary of National Victory Day
(10th Waning of Tazaungmone, 1385 ME)
Esteemed all the people and ethnic national brethren
First of all, I extend greetings to all ethnic national people on the occasion of the 103rd Anniversary of National Victory Day, which falls on the 10th Waning of Tazaungmone, and wish all the national brethren born in the Union good health and physical well-being.
During the period when Myanmar was under the imperialists, the imperialists used the education system as a weapon to prolong the lives of slaves and oppressed the Myanmar people to have a low level of intelligence. The British government enacted the Rangoon University Act on October 24, 1920 and formed Rangoon University on December 1, 1920 by merging Rangoon College and Judson College. As the Act was a law that prevented most Myanmar people from learning university education and limited their ability to join the university to ensure a small number of educated persons, the then university students protested against it.
The 10th Waning of Tazaungmone, which is the date that students protested against the 1920 Rangoon University Act, was designated as "National Day" at the GCBA Special Conference held at Yangon Jubilee Hall on June 17 and 18, 1922. That day was also called "National Victory Day" because it was a day of revolutionary victory against the oppression of the British imperialist government.
It has been 103 years since the National Victory Day celebrations born with such anti-imperialist, national education, university education and the history of struggle for independence have been held throughout the country every year.
The motto of the 103rd Anniversary National Victory Day in 2023 is "From Union Peace to Development of the Nation", and learning from the historical events, we have to make efforts to pass on the priceless legacy of peace to the younger generation. Therefore, the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), which is important for the perpetual peace of the Union, was signed, and it is open to all armed ethnic groups and they are always welcome to join it. Based on the results obtained from signing the NCA and continuous discussions, measures on building sustainable peace are being taken, and we must move forward to national development from union peace.
The Tatmadaw, who has served Myanmar's national politics continuously throughout the history and protected the country from whenever the country faced a crisis, has been protecting against all internal and external threats that may touch and disrupt Our Three Main National Causes: non-disintegration of the Union; non-disintegration of the national solidarity; and perpetuation of the national sovereign. In the current situation, the Tatmadaw protected against the situation of unfairly obtaining the State power in the election that will be dangerous for the State in a fraudulent way without being honest and correct, imposed a state of emergency period in accordance with the 2008 Constitution and is striving for ensuring peace and stability of the nation by laying down the roadmap, objectives and goals. This is the time to build a Union based on democracy and federalism with the collective and united force of all national ethnic people joining hands with the Government and the Tatmadaw.
A democratic governance system is interpreted that the majority chooses and the will of the majority is managed and implemented in accordance with the law, and federal means coexistence, compatibility, sharing and distribution of administrative responsibilities. In building a union based on democracy and federalism, all the leaders, implementers, and practitioners are to be complete with knowledge, skills, and ability to think. The Government is making efforts to implement a comprehensive education system that can produce human resources necessary to build a modern, developed nation.
Education is the foundation for development of the nation, and implementation of a comprehensive education system accessible to everyone is an important social objective. Myanmar Education Conference 2023 was held from May 18 to 20 in order to improve the country's future education, and plans were made and being implemented.
Measures are being taken giving priority to ensuring access to education for all school-aged children, being able to study until the completion of at least secondary level education (KG+9 )and learning vocational education and higher education. Basic education and mechanical, agricultural and livestock high schools, where those who have completed secondary level education could learn basic mechanical, agricultural and livestock education, have been opened in districts across the country. Human resources development, high education and unity of all ethnic brethren are a national matter that they must head toward and it is a national interest as well.
Young people are trained and nurtured at primary and higher education schools to be complete with the Five Nobel Strength: physical strength; mental strength; moral strength; social strength; and financial strength. They are also trained and nurtured to become good citizens highly capable of thinking critically about truth and falsehood and good and following and respecting the laws and regulations through having love of the country and patriotism. Only then will we be able to protect and safeguard the country in the future with a new generation of full strength and high performance.
Once the economic drive improves in a country, the country will also become stronger in its political and defense roles and will be able to become a modern and developed country. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which are important for the nation’s economic development and will be profitable in a short time, must be encouraged and promoted. Therefore, the State is working on implementation of two national goals: prosperity of the nation and food security through giving special consideration and encouragement to MSMEs.
The strength of the union is a combined force of all regions and states within the country. That kind of force depends on the unity of all ethnic people born in the Union. Only if we can act in unity with national spirit avoiding ethnicity, regionalism, partisanship, sectarianism and personal attachment and based on magnanimity, forgiveness, equality and fairness, goodwill and wisdom, will the Union be peaceful, stable, modern and developed.
Thus, all the national ethnic brethren are urged to make efforts and work all together with a sense of national duty, national spirit, and unity of national spirited force in implementing the objectives of 103rd Anniversary of National Victory Day 2023 which are:
- to build a Union based on democratic and federal system through united strength of all national ethnic people
- to implement a comprehensive education system accessible to all
- to nurture youths endowed with five physical and mental strengths and a patriotic spirit; and - to encourage MSMEs by emphasizing the economic drive.
Senior General Thadoe Maha Thray Sithu Thadoe Thiri Thudhamma Min Aung Hlaing Prime Minister
Chairman, State Administration Council