By Ko Yin Maung

LOOKING at the current situation in the country, it can be seen that due to the actions of certain ethnic armed organizations and terror­ist groups, local communities in some areas are deprived of secu­rity and peace, facing numerous hardships and suffering.

The various hardships and suffering faced by local ethnic people are not theirs alone but are the shared struggles of all the people living together in the Un­ion, as national brethren born on the same land. Just as in a family, when one sibling faces hardship, the other siblings also feel sorrow and distress, sharing the burden of grief and pain.

Regretful emotion

Due to various domestic and international influenc­es, as well as the mali­cious and destructive schemes originating from abroad, we should recognize the fact that the devas­tating situations affecting both sides often involve our fellow citizens. Even now, due to misunder­standings, misguided beliefs, and incitement, Myanmar citizens have been engaging in con­flicts, killing, and destruc­tion among themselves. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Myan­mar citizens have died, gone missing, suffered injuries, or endured im­mense hardship. This is a deeply saddening reality for all of us as fellow citizens and members of the same nation­al family.

Since Myanmar gained inde­pendence in 1948 until the pres­ent day, it is possible to estimate the number of people across the country who have lost their lives or been injured due to various armed conflicts. These conflicts have resulted in the loss of countless lives and the destruc­tion of countless bodies of the nation’s citizens. The lives of fami­lies affected, as well as significant human resources, have been lost, which constitutes a great loss to the nation. This is a tragedy that deeply saddens all citizens. Therefore, it is time to cease all armed conflicts.

Initiate unity

Due to internal and exter­nal influences, actions that lack careful consid­eration and harm the nation and its people, along with armed con­flicts, have caused significant damage and losses. A large ma­jority of those affected are young individu­als between the ages of 18 and 30. We would like to draw the public’s attention to this issue. Therefore, it is essential to reflect deeply on activities that incite conflict, create divisions, or promote hatred among one another. In­stead, we should culti­vate em­pathy, com­pas­sion, a n d uni­ty among all national brethren, ensuring the youth are not wasted or lost to such conflicts. Let us nurture and develop a generation of strong, capable young people who contribute to building a mod­ern, prosperous, and peaceful Un­ion with unity and harmony.

In recent periods, various insurgent groups have carried out violent attacks, resulting in significant damage to towns and villages. Armed terrorists resid­ing within states and regions are engaging in actions that destroy their communities. The residents of these regions must take re­sponsibility for the develop­ment and stability of their areas. It is essential for the local population to proactively pre­vent and safe­guard against actions that aim to disrupt development and undermine peace and stabili­ty in their regions. The terror attacks carried out by local ethnic groups demon­strate a lack of national spirit and misguided ide­ologies. These actions reflect political immatu­rity and betrayal of their birthplace and people.

Lesser development

To establish a peace­ful and prosperous nation, the unity and solidarity of national brethren are as vital as life itself during this critical time for the nation. It is essential to strive for everlasting durable peace among ethnic nationalities and to work collectively for the nation’s benefit with the unified strength of all ethnic people. Due to the prolonged armed conflicts over many years, countless lives and resources have been lost, and the nation has significantly lagged compared to neighbour­ing countries. This reality must be recognized. If divisions and conflicts persist among national brethren, further losses and de­struction will occur among the ethnic communities. The nation’s development will fall even further behind than it already has.

The main objective is to restore durable peace for the Union. Engaging in political dia­logue and advancing a multiparty democratic system are essential steps toward achieving peace in the Union. It is necessary to reduce and eliminate differenc­es in political views, ideologies, ethnic matters, religious beliefs, and racial issues. Everyone must strive to resolve these differenc­es peacefully through democrat­ic methods and parliamentary procedures. When considering peace, political dialogue is not the only approach. Solutions can also be found through democratic means. Only then can political is­sues be resolved through political methods. (Verse 1)

Cycle of conflicts

It has been over 70 years since armed conflicts began, and fostering peace for Myanmar can only succeed through political means, grounded in a spirit of unity and mutual understanding among national brethren. This requires meeting, discussing, and negotiating to find solutions. Peace demands sincerity. Howev­er, if political solutions are mere­ly proclaimed as a facade, while strategies shift opportunistically and actions lack honesty, the jour­ney toward peace will not only remain out of reach but will also perpetuate the cycle of conflict. In such a scenario, ethnic com­munities will suffer even more, and the nation will continue to decline further.

The government is steadily advancing following the people’s aspirations, and adhering to a genuine and disciplined multi­party democratic system. To strengthen this authentic and disciplined multiparty democracy and to establish a Union based on democratic and federal principles, the government is tirelessly and vigorously carrying out initiatives. These efforts are being made in the interest of the nation and its ethnic peoples. In this regard, preparations are underway to organize free and fair general elections under a multiparty dem­ocratic system.

The essential requirement for the nation’s development and the building of a democratic State is the intellectual advancement and rational thinking of all its peo­ple. It is being nurtured to enable citizens to safeguard and man­age the nation’s interests through their wisdom and knowledge.

Effective initiatives

For regional development, it is essential to collaborate on inclusive and sustainable develop­ment centred around the people in sectors such as agriculture, livestock, education, health, com­munications, and others. Efforts must be made to establish eco­nomic frameworks that enable fair and equitable use of natural resources while ensuring their long-term preservation. The gov­ernment is actively working to advance agriculture and livestock industries to achieve food secu­rity. Regional development can only be effectively secured when residents work hand in hand with the government. This collective effort is vital for the progress and prosperity of one’s state, region, and nation.

Foreign instigation, support, ideologies, beliefs, and misunder­standings that distort perceptions should not be allowed to exploit the interests of the Union and its people, leading to terror acts through armed conflicts. If such actions persist, resulting in di­visions and destruction among the people of Myanmar, we must realize that it will threaten the fu­ture of our regions and our people. To ensure a peaceful, prosper­ous, and developed Union and region, the spirit and strength of all national brethren living within these areas are crucial. As the strength of the nation lies within, the strength of regions and states also depends on the collective uni­ty and effort of all ethnic citizens residing within them.

Unied strength

The Panglong Agreement, which served as the foundation for Myanmar’s independence, stands as strong evidence of unity and solidarity. It is a result of the collective strength and support of all national brethren working together. The invaluable legacy of unity and solidarity established firmly by our national leaders and forefathers must be preserved and safeguarded without fail. It is the responsibility of all ethnic peo­ple in the present era to ensure this. We must continue to build upon the strength of unity among the people to initiate non-disin­tegration of the Union, non-dis­integration of national solidarity and perpetuation of sovereignty, through the united strength of the entire people.

Union spirit

For the enduring stability and sustainability of the Union, we must prioritize the Our Three Main National Causes and up­hold a spirit of patriotism among ethnic communities, a spirit of unity and solidarity among ethnic groups, and a spirit of Union. With these principles, we must protect and safeguard the nation and the people.

We must protect, nurture, and develop valuable human re­sources to ensure the future gen­erations of the nation do not face destruction. The ethnic people in states and regions must also come together and collaborate in the reconstruction process with correct thinking, ideas, and concepts, working with a spirit of unity so that the entire Union can achieve peace and prosperity, pro­gressing in all aspects. This is a call to action and encouragement to carry out these efforts with the spirit of the Union.

Translated