Address delivered by Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Chairman of National Unity and Peace Restoration Central Committee Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Senior General Min Aung Hlaing at the sixth anniversary of Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (15 October, 2021) (10th waxing of Thadingyut, 1383 ME)
Esteemed national brethren of the Union,
Today is the sixth anniversary of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signed between the government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) for national unity and peace. Previous NCA anniversaries were held in Nay Pyi Taw where participants met one another in person. But during the 5th anniversary, only a message was sent and an online address was made because of COVID-19. At this ceremony, I pray for all the national brethren to work with accelerated momentum in serving the interest of the country and the Union and to achieve a long-lasting peace and wish health and happiness for them all.
Peace process of our country is a gigantic task witnessed by history. Since the country regained independence, the past successive governments and the Tatmadaw have been holding negotiations time and again to end the internal armed conflicts and restore peace. BCP went underground because of the different views on independence.
Over a month later, Thakin Nu announced the 15-point policy to unite with the Left. His goal was to make peace with the Communists. Most of the pro-independence forces during the independence struggle and early post-independence period were leftists. Hence, differences between the forces were set aside while gathering the cohesive views for achieving internal unity, and from then, internal peace. Communists, Socialists and Pyithu Yebaw were trying to merge into a single party. The AFPFL government set up a 21-member Leftist Unity Council with General Nay Win as the chair in July to stop its war against Communists and establish unity with the Left, but without any success. There were many reasons behind the council’s failure. Now, I will point out one of them. When the 15-point policy to unite with the Left was announced, England and America started to thunder with the words “Myanmar became red” and “the country must be monitored”. As there was no internal unity and the country was weak during the early post-independence period, the government had to send U Tin Htut to London to explain the situation. Hence, a point “the formation of a Marxism study team” was left out. So, it became a 14-point policy. “As for certain Western countries they prefer a government under their control rather than the one that will serve the public interest and restore peace” and that is what I would like to point out here. The government and the Tatmadaw initiated an internal peace dialogue with KNU in 1948-1949. They held the dialogue with KNU again in 1960.
After assuming the State duties, the Revolutionary Council issued “the Revolutionary Council’s overture for internal peace with all armed groups in the jungles” in June 1963. During the year, it held talks with BCP for seven times, three times each with KIA and KIO, and about five times with the three parties – KNU, MNSP and KNPP – and the Ma-da-nya, in which they were members. But, peace could be made only with the KRC led by Saw Hunter Tha Hmwe. The Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) government held talks with KIA for ten times and BCP for two times in 1980 and 1981.
Apart from dealing with the armed organizations in restoring internal peace, the Revolutionary Council formed the Internal Unity Advisory Group on 4 December 1968 to take the counsel of the political leaders in serving the country and the people in the political, economic, social and ethnic affairs. The aim was to build the country in harmony and unison. It was a 33-member body. Prominent members were U Nu (former prime minister), U Kyaw Nyein, Widura Thakin Chit Maung, U Ba Swe, Mahn Win Maung, Duwa Zaw Lun, Bohmu Aung and Bo Min Khaung. People of the various political groups such as AFPFL (Stable), AFPFL (Clean) and Pa-ma-nya-ta and multiple ethnic races were its members. The advisory group was divided into about four different teams in giving counsel. There were a vast array of diverse ideas and views. In fact, the idea for and the quest for national reconciliation are not new. They can also be found in the past. But the reason for their failure can be found in history. The Tatmadaw government could make peace with 17 major EAOs and 23 minor EAOs after holding talks with them in the years following 1988. In the years after 2010 during the era of multi-party democracy, the road to NCA could be realized and peace was made with eight NCA signatory EAOs in 2015 and another two in 2018, totaling 10. The majority of NCA signatories are the groups that signed the ceasefire agreements for internal peace during the administration of the Tatmadaw government. Here, all should remember the message which said, “EAOs should not hastily sign the NCA” in 2015 (when the NCA was about to be signed). The Tatmadaw has always urged all the EAOs to try to take the NCA path. They then came to express their view that the Tatmadaw should make unilateral ceasefire for peace. So, the Tatmadaw has issued 20 statements on ceasefire and perpetual peace from 21 December 2018 to date, and made ceasefire. Now again, to hail the diamond jubilee of the Union Day, speed up COVID-19 prevention, control and treatment measures and expedite the peace process, we have extended the ceasefire period for another five months from 1 October to 28 February 2022 and halted all military operations except for the acts harming national defence and administrative duties and the security and administrative mechanism of the government. The Tatmadaw has already guaranteed the emergence of a union based on democracy and federalism. Democracy must be promoted based on equal rights among the regions and races, not unequal rights.
As I have said, we pay attention to two points when it comes to state building. Firstly, we have set our political goal to ensuing a strong multi-party democratic system as the people wish. Secondly, we are prioritizing national prosperity and food security. This is the political policy my government will continue to prioritize. In the effort for national prosperity in our country, peace is a prime requirement. 12 February 2022 is the 75th anniversary or diamond jubilee of Union Day of our country. Likewise, 4 January 2023 is the diamond jubilee of our Independence Day. The two days crucial and historic for a country are about to reach the diamond jubilee. Calculating the average lifespan of Myanmar’s population, they are the same age as a man. “Without knowledge of the past, same mistakes could be made. Likewise, with excessive attachment to the past, the road to future could be missed.” We need to be aware of this. Prior to the diamond jubilee of the Union Day and the Independence Day, the government will promote Union spirit (first) and the peace process (second).
For further strengthening of the Union spirit, we will do three stages: laying down tasks, forming teams of national races and implementing practical tasks. For these tasks, we will seek suggestions from all delegate groups involving the national people, give information and providing knowledge. In speeding up the peace process practically, I want to mention the following measures.
(1) Enabling respective national races and stakeholders to participate in the peace process and promote it
(2) Holding direct discussions between national unity and peacemaking coordination committee and the Tatmadaw peace dialogue committee and the ethnic armed groups and discussions with the peace process promotion teams
(3) Carrying out work programmes for further strengthening peace with the NCA signatories and reducing fighting and seeking bilateral agreements with the non-NCA signatories in the hope that they become signatories.
In this context, the ideas and concepts of some EAOs that no dialogue is necessary as the present government is not elected and that peace cannot be fully achieved should be reviewed on a practical basis. Let’s look at the practicalities: how we succeeded in the peace process in the time of the Tatmadaw government after 1988, how we reduced fighting and how we could implement development tasks in the ethnic areas. The majority of the EAOs signed the NCA. At the Union Peace Conferences and NCA anniversary celebrations, I have repeatedly highlighted the importance of honesty if they really want peace and stressed that nothing is as crucial as peace. No matter what government comes, our country is the Union of Myanmar. We must be loyal to the Union of Myanmar rather than the government. For the peace, it is important to act with honesty and genuine goodwill. This is why with the oath of the diamond jubilee Union Day, I want to urge the NCA signatories to further promote the NCA and the non-signatories to try to reach a stronger level of ceasefire, get a closer step towards the peace and sign the NCA.
The Republic of the Union of Myanmar was revitalized in the multi-party democracy in 2011. In its term, the first government offered the ethnic armed organizations on 18 August 2011 to initiate the peace process essential for building the firm multi-party democracy in accord with the aspiration of the people. After holding the peace talks with 18 ethnic armed organizations for more than four years, the government and eight ethnic armed organizations signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement-NCA on 15 October 2015 and New Mon State Party (NMSP) and Lahu Democratic Union (LDU) on 13 February 2018. So far, ten ethnic armed organizations have signed the NCA. I recognized and took pride of endeavours, spirit and undertakings of these organizations and peace negotiators for restoring the peace at present.
The NCA was drawn by an individual or an organization but it was drawn by the government, the Hluttaw, the Tatmadaw and all ethnic armed organizations through detailed discussions based on aspirations and initial proposals of ethnic armed organizations. So, the agreement is owned by all. It gained the support of the entire people in addition to recognition and respect of the international community. Hence, we should always pay attention to the NCA which is an unforgettable one.
After signing the NCA, the peace talks are continuously held in line with the provisions of the agreement with relentless perseverance amid the vary difficulties. So, the Union Peace Conference has been held for the five times to sign the 37 points of agreement of the Union Accord Part I, 14 points of agreement of the Union Accord Part II and 21 points of agreement of the Union Accord Part III, totaling 72 points. These discussions and agreements led to building the Union based on democracy and federalism which is an aspiration of the government, the Tatmadaw and all ethnic armed organizations. The Union Accord Part III mentioned that they agreed to negotiate the topic on the Union based on democracy and federalism in phase by phase. Due to outbreak of COVID-19 starting from the late 2019, the peace talks could not be held, and at present, as the infection rate of the pandemic declines, I’d like to urge all to continue the process of peace talks with agreements to reach the goal with the firm pledge without losing the way to build the Union based on democracy and federalism aspired by all.
In building the Union based on democracy and federalism we all accept, all ethnic national people from regions and states will have all the rights of federal in equal term. It is necessary to follow the wish of the majority and pay attention to the wish of the minority. Exercising discrimination and social punishment as enemies who are not conformed to their wish and setting aside them from the society is the attitude of classification system from the feudal era and it is not in conformity with the democracy. If the country wishes to forge the democracy, it must have peace and stability based on political and security trends. Everybody needs to notice that all the incidents happening in the country are based on the measures of democracy inmaturity. Although everybody defines the federalism based on their attitudes, actually, its essence is of unification and compatibility. Three kinds of power are shared with different regions and states, races and ethnics. No matter how different the concepts for the democracy and federalism are, it is necessary to choose the system which may be conformed to our country. We all need to completely negotiatethe different attitudes over democracy and federalism through the dialogues with the concept that all national brethren shall reside in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar together in a peaceful and tranquil manner.
Esteemed national brethren, Today is a period when the Tatmadaw has taken the State responsibilities in accord with the Constitution (2008) and the State Administration Council leads the country as the Tatmadaw and political parties strived for negotiations through various ways and means over the vote-rigging of NLD in the 2020 election but the mission failed. Since the time of taking the State responsibilities, the State Administration Council has laid down and is implementing the five-point roadmap and nine objectives, emphasizing the agreements involved in the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement- NCA for restoring the perpetual peace. The Tatmadaw Peace Talks Committee was reconstituted on 1 February 2021 and the National Unity and Peace Restoration Central Committee, the Work Committee and the Negotiation Committee on 17 February. Currently, the negotiation committee held meetings with NCA signatories and non-NCA signatories 21 times for implementing the peace process with momentum.
Although the government is levering up the peace process, terror acts of destructionist local and foreign organizations which do not wish to serve the interests of the country, media and extremist NLD members, terrorist groups called NUG, CRPH and PDF wishing to grasp the power of the State through terror ways harm the peace and stability and rule of law in some areas of the country and hamper the peace process to some extent.
It is also found that some signatories to the NCA have accepted activities and perspectives that deviate from the peace process and are involved in the activities of organizations that have been designated as terrorists by the government by committing undesirable acts that undermine the trust on the peace process due to the instigations of local and foreign organizations. However, the government is working with restraints magnanimously in order not to undermine the peace process. As I said at the beginning, the NCA is the first chance for peace reached after repeated and difficult negotiations over more than 70 years. It is necessary to keep in mind that the road to peace must not be lost due to terrorist acts, sabotages, domestic and foreign influences and instigations of the media.
The government has adopted political processes and implemented them to establish a union based on strengthening of genuine and disciplined multi-party democracy system and democracy and federalism.
The government can firmly assure all of that. Therefore, it is necessary for EAOs to understand the tasks adopted by the government and realities correctly, to distinguish the fake news of some media and to avoid acts that can undermine the peace process being implemented. Continuing to take the peace path confidently and firmly can contribute to the emergence of a new democratic government elected by the people by holding free and fair multi-party democracy elections, which are being implemented by the government, as scheduled.
National Brethren,
It is a time the entire world is enduring the COVID-19 pandemic, which started in late 2019. The SAC is exerting utmost efforts for prevention, control and treatment of COVID-19 for the entire people and the country by adopting a policy that nothing is more important than the lives of the people. In doing so, the SAC is taking measures to vaccinate not just the national races residing in the union but also the entire people including signatories to the NCA, non-signatories to the NCA, people in border areas and internally displaced persons in accordance with the policy of no racial and religious discrimination. I would like to inform you that some EAOs have already vaccinated the targeted groups and it is necessary to cooperate with the coordination committees to timely vaccinate the people based only on the health perspective.
The government has publicly announced that it will continue to implement the NCA to restore perpetual peace and to open the door for negotiations. As the Tatmadaw has assumed the responsibilities of the government, it can implement all remaining peace negotiations except seeking approval from the union parliament. Although it can be assumed that it is impossible to continue the peace process without the elected government, parliaments and representatives, we can move forward by holding political dialogues and im plementing the peace process at present with stakeholders uninterruptedly as representatives from political parties will become elected representatives and members of the cabinet.
As peace is the strongest desire of the people and it is the legacy for new generations we can leave, it is necessary to implement the peace process as speedily as possible without delay. The sooner peace is restored in resource-rich Myanmar, the faster the country becomes stable and developed. As the government and the Tatmadaw are implementing lasting peace seriously at present, it is the best time for signatories as well as non-signatories to the NCA to take the peace path by upholding the interest of the country and the people.
I would like to conclude my address by reciting some verses from a poem written by Saya Zawgyi.
“Stand up Myanmar, Myanmar stand up, without losing strength, without losing perseverance, not only by you, but also by us, with so many hands, with so many heads, let’s exert efforts, let’s exert efforts. Whose land is this, whose village is that, whose paddy is the crop, which is harvested from this land, let’s shoulder our responsibilities, and let’s fulfil our responsibilities, by upholding wisdom, in complete unanimity.”
Let’s unite unanimously.
Thank you all.