In analyzing the criticisms, responses and wishes on the extension of the emergency period, there are three factors to ensure the election, stability and the reduction of commodity prices, said Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC) in his speech at the 2/2023 meeting of the State Administration Council held on February 23.
In his speech, he said that the newly formed council members held a meeting for the first time after the six-month extension of the state of emergency. It is a consultation that needs to be done politically, economically and socially for the country in the next six months. As the State Administration Council, the national level policies must be established and carried out. The SAC needs to establish new procedures and efforts must be made to achieve the objectives. The state of emergency had to be extended by six months due to the fact that the country is still not completely peaceful and there are activities to fulfill the basic needs in order to hold a free and fair election.
In addition, the next election should be a free and fair election. Everyone should have the right to vote and it should be done so that the whole country can do it. Not every country in the world can vote 100%. Giving vote or not is the will of the individual people, and it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that all voters can vote freely. There is a need to avoid threats, coercion and pressure at the time of voting. We need to make the country stable and peaceful so that the voters can vote freely. It was found that the country is not completely peaceful and there is still a need to continue to maintain peace and tranquility due to the terrorist attacks by some EAOs and PDF so-called terrorists, he said.
He submitted a report to the Acting President regarding the two-year service of the State Administration Council, and the criticisms, responses and wishes were analyzed when the state of emergency was extended by six months. According to the findings, the three main things are to re-run the election, to ensure stability and to reduce commodity prices. Some townships were declared under martial law in order to maintain peace and stability. According to previous experience, Tatmadaw has been maintaining peace and stability only in accordance with the law. In the current situation, the Tatmadaw is working to make real democracy and strengthen the democratic system. However, it is a wrong way for those who claim to have democracy and human rights to take the path of violence without solving the errors of the voting list by law. We need to take action to prevent this from happening again. Elections are the dignity of a country, so efforts must be made to create an election with dignity. Time is still needed to do what is necessary to ensure the correctness of the voting lists, he said.
Similarly, regarding the decrease in commodity prices, the increase in commodity prices is due to the fact that in the past there were few products and a large number of imports, which resulted in a trade deficit. In 2020-2021, there was a global shortage of goods and transportation and labor requirements due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 disease which made commodity prices rise. The increase in the price of inputs such as fertilizers and fuel and the shortage of labor are causing the price of products to rise. Our country is a country that does not have enough electricity, so when the price of fuel rises, electricity prices also rise. Although the price of goods has risen in our country, there is no shortage of basic goods. In order to improve the country's income, they are supporting the development of domestic manufacturing. Only then will the price of goods decrease. They are doing everything possible to reduce the prices of goods, he said.
