Peace and Diversity Party Chairperson Daw Sandar Oo presented party’s policy, stance and work programmes through radio and TV on 13 September.
Esteemed people
Greetings and best wishes for you all.
I am Daw Sandar Oo, Chairperson of the Peace and Diversity Party.
In our party’s policy and work programme, you might be surprised that we do not want an oversaturation of politicians so let me explain it in detail. We wish for the general public to focus on their manufacturing and service businesses. At the same time, they are regularly updated on political news, laws and regulations, national security, changes to economic policy and other political affairs.
In a democratic country, people have to work hard for their own business, so we don’t want them to squander their life and time in politics, an impractical source of income. But when politicians and government officials mismanage the political system, it is the people who have to bear the burden and suffer the loss of public funds, difficulty getting work done due to government interference, and other issues. That is why it is essential to listen to political news regularly.
Esteemed people
The Peace and Diversity Party produced our own legal policy framework and process manual on 22 March 2010 and continue to work in line with those policies to this day. Our party’s structure allows just one person present in a township sufficient to operate a communications office. We do not need complicated office procedures and equipment. They have to act as the contact between the party’s headquarters and the public. They can discuss their regional issues with the communications officer and acquire advice from headquarters and submit their matters to the government.
Our party does not have any policy to include a large number of Hluttaw representative candidates. The Union Election Commission Law states that a political party will be abolished unless it contests in at least three constituencies. That is why we compete in elections mandatorily. We do not teach our party members to chase after the authority to form a government or attain a position as a Hluttaw representative. We guide the public and our party members to educate themselves on political systems, economic systems and religious extremism.
Our Peace and Diversity Party has always pushed for the proliferation of knowledge and wisdom since 2010. The public has seen sufficient uploads on our party website. We accept that dissemination is slow. We think the majority of the people still view politics as a contestation of power and thus do not view our work as political literature with acceptance or enthusiasm.
We do not admire the democratic system because of power and authority. In a monarchy, one can do anything if one were a monarch, prime minister or general. If we have to attain that rank to do what we want, then we should not wish for democracy with a thirst. A democratic system allows a regular citizen to use the freedom of expression to implement their aspirations. If one person’s ideas and beliefs were distributed to the rest of the public and attract cooperation, then those in power inevitably have to comply. That is why our party advocates for the government to recognize and implement the will of the people through public methods.
This is the unique point of our party. There may be other parties and the majority of citizens who do not understand our party’s actions. They may not understand since its something new or radical. I wish for them to realize that we have departed from the traditional thinking that a political party needs to acquire authority and instead established ourselves as a bridge between the public and successive government administrations.
Our party’s logo has multiple lines in different colours. The four colours arranged into an outline of a globe represent the use of modern communications technology to spread opinions, beliefs and ideals. There were few users of the Internet when our party was established but it is now used far and wide across the land and sea. News and information are now spreading through rural and urban areas. Even the President can easily learn about what’s happening in a remote area.
Injustice, corruption, mismanagement, embezzlement, armed conflicts, opinions on peace, the market economy, education and healthcare can no longer be suppressed in our daily lives.
Evil monarchs and governments are included in the five types of enemies in Buddhism, and democracy is the only place where we have the opportunity to keep them in check. Governments will change, but people continue to shape their ideals in democracy. A simple map of Myanmar without the people is meaningless. The people are the most important. The majority of people must have the knowledge and capacity to keep the government in check. But actual government officials automatically rise to the top, so the people must keep checking in the five years systematically.
Our party has always aimed for public scrutiny on the government since our formation. I see that most people are not ready to accept our modern 21st-century actions. But we see a good measure with our estimations. Our Myanmar society has only had access to modern news networks for seven years. Copying machines and computers legally became widespread only after 2012. It brings to light the fact that the dissemination of knowledge and information was severely limited. Literature improved vastly when touchscreen phones and the Internet were accessible by everyone. The Internet allowed people to view laws, religious texts, political texts and systems readily.
The Peace and Diversity Party is contesting in 3 constituencies because of the election law, but it will always stand as a civilian. The time is right for the people to voice their opinions, and we urge you to focus on how to communicate your necessities.
We need a private economic system if we are going for an approach centred on the private sector and with projects if we centre on the nation. I want to explain the difference between the two with the old MPT system and the later Telenor system. The old MPT system ran on public tax and budgets for constructing towers, printing SIM cards, installing cables, staff salary and office space.
But the later Telenor system operated on their private budget. It was merely a public service. The public budget was even used for staff pensions in the old system, but the Telenor system didn’t need public funds. Profits made by MPT benefited the nation, and tax levied on Telenor was the same. If MPT had losses, then it was the public’s loss as well, but if Telenor made losses, it didn’t affect the people. That is the reason a private sector-centred economic system is thriving around the world.
In old systems, farmers only had opportunities during farming and were confiscated when they stopped farming. They were not allowed to pawn or sell the land. The old system was abolished on 31 August 2012, and the new farmland law was enacted. People could pawn or sell their farmland with a Form-7, but there are still challenges to using the land for other purposes.
If you calculate the cost of farming an acre of paddy and the price of the products you will find a single season creates a profit between K100,000 to K200,000 and a profit of K200,000 to K400,000 per year. But this profit was calculated with the labour costs at zero. If they were added, then there will be a continuous loss.
A lot of discussions is made on how to resolve this, but the fact is simple. Paddy price will not be favourable as long as there is surplus production. If farmers are not allowed to use their land for other purposes, then they will always have losses. If it does not fit the market economy, then I urge you to try different methods. Farmers need to change their title to landowners. Requesting farmers’ rights is not the way when you should be asking for landowner rights in line with market demand. If you plant Napier grass on an acre of land and rear just two cattle, then you can make a profit of nearly K1.5 million in a year. You will see that paddy prices are down because the market does not need to.
Esteemed people
I wish for the public to contact our party and open communications offices in every town and city. If you understand the value of our words, then cooperate and learn with us that authority is not that valuable when compared to public wisdom. May you all be safe from COVID-19 and have peace and prosperity.
I conclude, and thank you.
GNLM
