26 May

Today, our country is undergoing a transition. Truth be told, not too many decades ago we experienced a change of era and system. For example, we witnessed the so-called socialist revolution in the past decades. However, the revolution did not benefit the people in any way. Instead, it ended in collapse and the people lived through another era of massive destruction. During the course of change, we, the people, gazed at these changes as if they were playing out on a cinematic screen. But, it is the people who bore the brunt of the errors of that system and the bruises it inflicted on them.

The change in this particular period is towards building a democratic Federal Union. Democracy must guarantee the society fairness in politics and the economy, and social and equal rights to all ethnicities, as we move towards a Federal Union.

“Our attempt to build a Federal Union is a change from the old system to a new one. In doing so, we must break away from our old ways to find new ways to serve our purpose in the modern days ahead. If we stick to the old ways, we won’t make much progress,” the President, U Win Myint, said in his speech at the meeting with the Chairman of Nay Pyi Taw council, member of the council, members of Nay Pyi Taw city development committee, HLuttaw representative and district and township level officials in Nay Pyi Taw Council Area on 24 May.

There were some changes in an era and a system over five decades ago, but they were never public-centric. People did not play even a small part in building the country. Under various types of centralized managements, we stayed as an oppressed people, and in such a system government officials lost touch with the public. Government officials belonged to the public, but they intimidated and oppressed the people, forcing them to pay bribes. The levels of corruption were so high that people, let alone wanting to go inside, despised being even in the vicinity of government offices.

Government officials must change along with the new era and the new system. In the era of elected governments, a government official must be public-benefit oriented, responsible, disciplined, and ethical. In this way, the country’s history shall be rewritten.

GNLM