Myanmar is planning to hold the eighth anniversary of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with practicality and seriousness, said Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC).
He made the remark during a meeting with Shan State (North), district and township level officials, local elders, and MSME entrepreneurs in Lashio on September 9.
“Coming 5 October is the eighth anniversary of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). It could not have been held for various reasons, and there are plans to hold it seriously this year. Reviewing the country’s internal armed conflicts, they emerged due to different ideologies in politics, race and religion,” he said.
Regarding political differences, he said, different countries have different administrative and political systems. Myanmar exercised parliamentary democracy in the post-independence period. During the independence struggles also, independence was shouted as first, second and third priorities. Due to the rivalry between socialism and capitalism and their different ideologies, the communist party went underground in March 1948. Then, ethnic armed groups like KNDO emerged. From 1962 to 1988, the country was ruled by the Revolutionary Council and Myanmar Socialist Program Party. With administrative weaknesses, the country’s economy declined thereby contributing to the 1988 uprising. Generally, the 1988 uprising surfaced for pro-democracy, but there were many reasons behind the crisis. The people demanded democracy as they disliked socialism. After the Tatmadaw (military) government assumed State duties in 1988, it worked on marching towards multi-party democracy as aspired by the people. A constitution was drafted to suit democracy. After the heated debates at the National Convention involving all walks of life, the constitution was approved in 2008 through a national referendum, he commented.
“Reviewing the constitutions our country used, the constitution (1947) was drafted and approved by the parliament after seeking advice from some experts, not by the entire people. The constitution (1974) emerged after three drafts and it was approved through a national referendum. The 2008 constitution follows suit. Although the word federalism is not directly used in the 2008 constitution, the federal procedures have been enshrined in it. As per the constitution, a union will emerge after townships, districts, and regions or states have been formed based on rurality. In those regions or states with large numbers of ethnicities, self-administered regions or zones can be formed,” the SAC chair said.
Marching towards multi-party democracy, Myanmar is striving to be on the right track of democracy and parliament in peace, and the political, racial and religious differences should no longer exit. The NCA was ceremonially signed by the government, parliament, Tatmadaw and ethnic armed organizations in the presence of local witnesses and international witnesses including the UN on 15 October 2015. It is a historic Union Accord approved by the Union Parliament. It will continue to exit without being null and void. The Tatmadaw will stand firm for the NCA regarding the peace process. The eighth anniversary of the NCA will be marked on 15 October with practicality and seriousness. We will continue to try for the success of the country’s peace process, the Senior General added.
