Message from President U Win Myint, The Republic of the Union of Myanmar in Commemoration of the 72nd Independence Day 4th January 2020

Date: January 04, 2020

Dear Respectable Citizens,

On this occasion of the 72nd anniversary of the Independence Day, which is an auspicious day for the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, may I first of all wish all the national brethren who live in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar happily and unitedly “Mingalarbar”.

Myanmar is a country standing in the world with great dignity and its own sovereignty since time immemorial. when colonialism was fully functioned the 19th century, Myanmar became a colony and lost its independence and its sovereignty.

The patriotic leaders of national races and all the national races led by our great national leader, Bogyoke Aung San, had sacrificed their lives, with patriotic and national spirit, to gain independence. As a result, Myanmar gained its independence and sovereignty on 4th January 1948.

Due to the divide and rule policy of the colonial government and various reasons, misunderstanding, doubts and diversity of religious beliefs among national brethren grew gradually, and there were a lot of armed conflicts soon after its independence. As there were no peaceful ways of negotiation and of solving these armed conflicts, such conflicts within the country have still existed for 70 years. Such conflicts have weakened the human and natural resources which are essential for the development of the nation.

Today is the time when all the national brethren have been striving with a strong union spirit to obtain eternal peace and to achieve mutual understanding and trust without doubts and conflicts while taking the lessons in the past. The Union Peace Conference – 21st Century Panglong has been successfully held three times in order to obtain peace and national reconciliation and some agreements for building a democratic federal union have been reached. We have been undergoing the peace process in order to build a federal union all the national races have been craving for.

To be able to stand as a sovereign nation in the region as well as in the world with a positive image, all the national races must strive, with a strong union spirit, to preserve our three main national causes: the non-disintegration of the union and the non-disintegration of the national solidarity and perpetuation of sovereignty while taking the lessons in the past to achieve mutual understanding, mutual trust and mutual respect among our national races.

Moreover, we must also strive for the successful implementation of peace process, the emergence of a federal union, building complete mutual trust, and the amendment of the constitution which is relevant to the real situation of the nation and which is in line with the standards and fundamental principles of democracy and human rights.

With the prevalence of peace and the genuine democracy, all the national races can enjoy fairness, freedom and equality, which are deterrent principles of the world and the heart of the democracy, and build a new democratic nation which every national race has been craving for.

Only when the nation becomes peaceful, will we be able to focus on the well-balanced development of States and Regions, reduce the gap between urban and rural development, provide more job opportunities, alleviate the poverty of the nation, and enhance the socio-economic development of the nation.

As the economic development of each state and region is crucial for the development of the whole nation, we must endevour to promote the economic development of the regions and states. It is very important to effectively utilize the resources in the region and the state in collaboration with the local people. It is a must for us to explore the natural resources in the region and to provide all-round support for the development of the private economic sector in accordance with the market-oriented economic system.

In trying to promote the development of a nation, it is essential for every citizen to be strong and healthy as well as to be a good citizen. A long-term goal in education should be set in order to make all the national races become good citizens. In addition, as a national duty all the national races must actively participate in the eradication of narcotic drugs, which has a profound impact on the character and health of all the national races.

Today, we have witnessed the potentials for establishing a peaceful developed nation and it is time for all the national races to collaboratively and unitedly participate in the implementation of the peace process in the nation. We must put great efforts in the peace process and the transition process to democracy as we did in fighting for our independence and endevour to build a genuine, fully democratic nation and continue to work together for sustainable development of the nation.

Thus, while aiming for building a peaceful modern developed federal union with strong determination, the 72nd anniversary of Independence Day will be observed with the following national objectives:

– to safeguard the non-disintegration of the Union and the non-disintegration of the National Solidarity and Perpetuation of Sovereignty with the unity of all national races;

– to give priority in restoring the peace and stability of the nation and the development of the nation which are crucial for the prevalence of justice

– to endevour to successfully carry out the amendment of the Constitution which plays a vital role in building a democratic federal union

– to create the better environment in order to promote the capacity and accountability of the citizens, which is essential to build a democratic federal union;

– to build a peaceful democratic nation through Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan (2018-2030)

That is why, I would like to urge all the national races to unitedly participate in our endevour to build a peaceful democratic federal union while bearing in mind the objectives of the 72nd anniversary of Independence Day.