Message of Greetings sent by President U Win Myint on the Occasion of the 73rd Anniversary Celebration of Independence Day

4 January 2021

Dear esteemed ethnic national citizens,

On this auspicious special occasion of the 73rd anniversary of Independence Day, I extend my good wishes to all union born ethnic national brothers and sisters living together in friendship within the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, to be blessed with auspiciousness and good fortune and to be free from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Myanmar has existed as an independent kingdom with her own culture since many years ago where ethnic national citizens lived together in weal and woe. The dreadful colonial system which overwhelmed the whole world also impacted upon Myanmar in the 19th century. As a result of three unjust wars fought by the colonial imperialists, Myanmar came under the British yoke in 1885.

After being under British rule, we were able to regain our independence on 4th January 1948 due to the sacrifice in lives, blood and sweat of ethnic national leaders and all ethnic nationals led by General Aung San our national martyr with indomitable bravery, courage, spirit of sacrifice, unflagging determination and intense patriotism.

Right from that time, the national leaders aspired to have a democratic system in the country. They intended to have a federal Union. They worked hard to build a peaceful and prosperous Union of Myanmar.

However due to the odious divide and rule tactics of the colonial imperialists, we were confronted with dreadful internal armed conflicts as we began the task of nation building; these resulted in divisions among the ethnic national races, mistrust, suspicions, differences in opinions, and partisanship. Because of years of internal armed conflicts, we drifted further away from the majority of the world’s countries and the socio-economic life of our people did not develop as much as we had hoped; even among regional countries we lagged behind quite considerably.

Therefore it is the historic task of all citizens to implement in a correct and proper way, the aspirations of General Aung San and ethnic national leaders who gave us independence. It is therefore of utmost importance for all ethnic national races to protect, maintain and preserve our independence with collective strength as this Union is our heritage handed down to us by the architect of independence General Aung San and our patriotic ethnic national leaders with much difficulty through the sacrifice of many lives, blood and sweat. We must work for non-disintegration of the Union, non-disintegration of the unity of ethnic national races, and perpetuation of national sovereignty. Our Union Government is also striving to establish a Democratic Federal Union which has been the aspiration of all our ethnic national citizens, with the intention of achieving the speedy cessation of internal armed conflicts and durable peace.

In working towards this end, we were able to convene the Union Peace Conference – 21st Century Panglong successfully up to the 4th session; furthermore we were able to reach agreements on: – important agreements which are important elements for the establishment of the future Democratic Federal Union; step by step action plans and implementation tasks to be taken in the post 2020 period; and fundamental policy guidelines relating to building a federal union based on democracy and a federal system.
As we achieve success in establishing peace and stability which is the aspiration of all our citizens, we would be able to exert more efforts with all our strength for the socio-economic development of the entire country. At the same time our Union Government has been striving on all fronts for all-round development for our country to become modern and developed so as to achieve: – enduring political stability, rule of law, peace and prosperity, unity among ethnic national races, economic development, comfortable livelihoods, high educational standards, good and comprehensive healthcare, and protection and preservation of literature, culture and traditions, and heritage of each ethnic national race.

Myanmar is a Union of diverse ethnic national races with different languages, literature, culture and traditions, and different beliefs. It is very important for all national ethnic races to receive and enjoy justice in social relations, political justice, social equality, equal opportunity, and non-discrimination and equality in the dispensation of justice. It is important for all our citizens to enjoy fully and in larger measure the universal principles of democracy such as justice, freedom and equality.

Apart from that, all of you need to participate and cooperate in order to make the constitution, which is the foundation in the establishment of the future Democratic Federal Union to be fully aligned with democratic principles and standards, the actual situation of the country and the emerging federal union system.

In establishing the Democratic Federal Union, it is important for all union born ethnic nationals to help each other in close friendship; to have compassion and empathy; to discuss and negotiate; to be free from suspicion; to have mutual respect; to have mutual understanding; to have mutual trust and unity. These are the fundamental principles of Union spirit. I believe that a peaceful, modern, developed and prosperous Democratic Federal Union will emerge in the future if all ethnic nationals worked strenuously in unity with firm Union spirit. Let me therefore urge all ethnic national citizens in great seriousness to participate and cooperate with firm determination for the fulfillment of the following independence day national objectives on this auspicious occasion of the 73rd anniversary of independence day.

– Non-disintegration of the Union, non-disintegration of national unity, perpetuation of national sovereignty; to this end all ethnic nationals to protect and preserve the above with “collective strength”;

– Justice in social relations, justice in economic affairs, justice in political affairs, equality in social relations, equal opportunity, equality before the law; all citizens to be able to enjoy the above in equality;

– To strive towards the amendment of the constitution for the emergence of a genuine Democratic Federal Union;

– For perpetuation of the Union to build a modern and developed Democratic Federal Union by nurturing union spirit.