Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing addresses Union Government meeting 6/2024
Nay Pyi Taw July 29
Union Government held meeting 6/2024 at the meeting hall of State Administration Council Chairman’s Office here this afternoon, addressed by Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
Present were union ministers and officials. The Nay Pyi Taw Council chair and region/state chief ministers participated in the meeting through video conferencing.
In his opening address, the Senior General said he would describe the government’s accomplishments in national economic development undertakings and matters relating to health, education and rule of law.
National economic development
A government has to strive for the development of national economy and public businesses.
As governments are in favour of the progress of their respective countries’ economy, they are employing collective efforts.
In this regard, related sectors such as health, education, rule of law and transport are in included in Myanmar government’s endeavours for national economic growth.
It has conducted internal trade and maritime external trade during the past three months, April, May and June, and also border trade and saw plus signs in the trade. The government also has knowledge about daily illegal border trade activities.
As illegal trade is harming the national economy, serious attention should be paid to trade sector. Border trade should go through the proper channel and unnecessary cost along the route will increase commodity prices. Officials must be vigilant against any act that may hamper border trade.
The country needs products to trade, and farming is Myanmar’s main business. Here, union ministers, chief ministers should collectively strive for development of production industries. If rice production meets the target, the country can boost exports; apart from ensuring local food sufficiency.
Strive for production development
The country will be flooded with goods only if there is progress in farming based production businesses. Cooking oil crops cultivation should also meets its target. Of the oil crops, groundnut and sesame are consumed locally as snacks and sent abroad as raw materials.
So efforts should be made to increase the per acre yield of other oil crops, sunflower, soil bean, oil palm, apart from groundnut and sesame. Cultivation of garlic, onion, chili, potato that are essential ingredients in Myanmar dishes should also meet the set targets. Systematic feeding and farmhouse breeding will increase productivity of chicken, pig, goat and cattle breeding. Efforts should be made to increase productivity of agriculture and breeding undertakings thorough four means -- strain, land, water and technology. Regional breeding businesses should learn the high yield methods of other countries.
Development of farming businesses will help promote the operations of production and industrial sectors, followed by progress in the services sectors, and finally, the country will see increase in GDP. Based on the said businesses, the country will be able to certainly improve the social life of 50 percent of the country’s population. The country must generate experts in the farming sector as qualified human resources are a must for conducting farming businesses properly. A student must have at least middle school education and arrangements are underway for the students to complete the KG+9 compulsory program.
After completion of KG+9, a student can join the agriculture, livestock and technical high school. If a student passed with flying colours he can pursue university education. In this way country will produce experts.
The country still needs a large number of technicians.
In this regard, the government is striving to generate educated human resources for the country.
The Senior General recounted that he made trips to regions and states for encouraging development of MSME businesses.
Progress of MSME businesses were seen there. Developed countries are operating SME businesses in many sectors.
Myanmar needs to produce Nay Pyi Taw July 29 Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing addresses Union Government meeting 6/2024 quality foodstuffs as well as personal goods. If foodstuff and personal goods can be manufactured sufficiently at home, import volume can be reduced.
Hence, it is necessary to encourage MSME businesses for their development.
Efforts should be made for operating cotton-based industries
With regard to cultivation of cotton, cotton should not be exported and used in producing advanced products at home.
Cotton can be produced to wool whereas oil can be extracted from cotton seeds. Expellers from the cotton seeds can be produced as foodstuffs, much beneficial for farmers. Cotton can be produced to threads meeting standards and then textiles. Hence it is necessary to operate textile industries based on cotton. As cotton is mainly planted in Mandalay, Magway and Sagaing regions, cotton from these regions must be used in cotton-based industries so as to produce quality threads and textile which can be great beneficial in cotton cultivation.
As such, these regions need to strive for running the cottonbased industries in order to generate job opportunities. Fisheries products can earn an appropriate amount of income for the State. Fisheries sector comprises fish farming and capturing.
Officials need to emphasize increase of incomes from marine products as well as raise marine resources.
Encouraging education sector for development
This academic year, some 70 percent of basic education school reopened with 92 percent attendance of students. It is necessary to continue opening of schools and extend opening of more schools. At a time when temporarily closed schools in natural disasters are reopened, schooling times must be extended in extra time for ensuring students to actually have education and knowledge.
The majority of citizens earn the middle-class of incomes and low-incomes. A large number of students are learning at government’s schools. So, the government is initiating the compulsory education. Teachers need to emphasize teaching for students to have education and knowledge, not passing the grades. Teachers who have completed necessary training courses are assigned duties.
Officials need to provide necessary assistance for teaching staff serving in relevant regions. Moreover, it is necessary to take security measures for students who can serve academic duties.
The government crates necessary opportunities for education staff. Hence, teachers need to successfully serve their duties to ensure students to have education and knowledge actually.
Furthermore, the government arranged increased allowance for staff in addition to salaries as part of recognizing their service. The allowance will be allocated for retired staff. Just actual strength of staff must be appointed. The directive has been issued to appoint education, health, security and administrative staff without fail. Education staff members are being appointed to meet the necessary strength in the education sector whereas necessary aid are being fulfilled for academic infrastructures.
Fulfilling needs in health sector as much as possible
With regard to health sector, the government successfully overcame difficulties and crises triggered by COVID-19 pandemic through collaborative efforts of health staff, departmental personnel and people during the assumption of the current government. The government emphasizes full appointment of health staff and provision of medications. This year, the special fund will be spent on providing hospital equipment and upgrading hospitals. In accord with the policies “health helps learning”, “health helps working”, “nothing is important more than human life” and “all hospitals must have medical doctors”, requirements are being fulfilled in the health sector.
Rule of law
In the rule of law sector, officials need to supervise rule of law measures. Emphasis must be placed on raising public awareness to decline crime.
They have to dutifully discharge assigned duties and actually work. Most of the criminal cases are based on lesser knowledge and solving monetary problems in incorrect ways. As such, it is necessary to effectively supervise raising legal knowledge for the people in the crime-prone areas. It is necessary to manage creation of safe and sound livelihoods and share knowledge of the constitution with the people.
Lectures on legal knowledge must be given to teachers and students, especially for KG+11 and KG+12 students to have basic legal knowledge as part of efforts to reduce crime.
Duties of civil servants
In general, civil servants are expected to perform their duties in a manner that fosters good relationships between superiors and subordinates, and to carry out their responsibilities efficiently and cheerfully. It is important to work together and cooperate.
Heads of various ministries should manage their staff fairly and with empathy, ensuring that duties are performed efficiently and equitably within their departments. They must maintain regular communication with employees, understand their work-related needs and personal difficulties, and provide solutions to the best of their abilities.
Additionally, they should work to enhance the skills of their staff and enforce necessary discipline.
Traditional Performing Art Competitions and National Sports Festival to focus on quality and fairness
It has been planned to hold Traditional Performing Art Competitions in the coming October, and the National Sports Festival will also be held in December. The focus is on showcasing the quality of the competitions rather than just holding ceremonies. Efforts are being made to ensure fair and well-prepared competitions.
The performing art competitions aim to preserve Myanmar’s culture and highlight national characteristics, while the national sports festival aims to provide high-quality, competitive sports events. Participants from various ministries and regions are encouraged to compete at a high level and ensure fair competition.
Following this, the Union Ministers attending the meeting provided clarifications according to their respective sectors.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing concluded the meeting by stating that successive governments have implemented various economic systems. Given the current situation of our country, it is evident that the cooperative system is most suitable for economic development. The cooperative system involves like-minded business owners and farmers working together in associations. In a multi-party democratic system, a market economy is practiced where the government can participate in some enterprises while others are operated without government involvement. The cooperative system is suitable for ensuring smooth operations.
Therefore, efforts should be made to form cooperatives and develop agriculture, livestock, and production industries according to the four techniques of seed, soil, water, and method. This will lead to the establishment of factories and workshops based on agricultural and live-stock products. The government will provide support in terms of capital, technology, and other necessary resources.
Alongside producing quality food products domestically, efforts should be made to produce highquality consumer goods, clothing, and valuable products.
In education, it is necessary for those who complete basic education to utilize the knowledge they have acquired in their respective fields. Additionally, there is a need for medical, technical, computer, business, and legal professionals in the country, and relevant schools and universities should train and produce these professionals.
The country needs young, knowledgeable individuals who can serve the nation effectively. In the healthcare sector, there are infrastructural needs, and in the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Myanmar Police Force, there is a need for staff housing.
Therefore, it is essential to construct staff housing for security forces and healthcare workers within their operational areas.
Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of Regions and States should report any national matters in a timely manner and act according to policies. The meeting then ended.