March towards the restoration of perpetual peace across the nation
“So, if you want to get the Independence, you have to follow the disciplines deserved to regain the independence. If you want to get independence, you have to sustain the unity deserved to regain independence. If you want to get independence, you have to perform rehabilitation deserved to regain the independence. After that, if you want to enjoy the fruits of independence, I’d like to urge you all that you have to work, abide by disciplines and change your old, worse mindsets.”
The above-mention quotation was excerpted from the speech delivered by General Aung San at the City Hall in Yangon on 13 July 1947. The Radio Myanmar broadcasts that speech on the night of every martyr day which falls on 19 July every year.
General Aung San, the architect of the Independence, urged us how to do things in the future. How many people do they follow the guidance of General Aung San? Most of the people paid respect to General Aung San but how many people do they pay respect to each other?
Now, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar is an independent nation but peace cannot cover all over the country yet. At a time when Myanmar regained its independence, the colonialists kept a spark among the ethnic people. It is because Myanmar is home to 135 national races. Those ethnic people have many common concepts as well as different ones. Taking an advantage of such difference, the colonialists sow a seed of spark among the national brethren with instigation.
The spark has been gradually bigger and bigger in decades. It triggered the misunderstanding as an instigation wedged into the hearts of national races. When the time had gone with the wind for decades, the hearts of the national races injured by the instigation of the colonialists were harder and harder as a stone. The injuries on the hearts healed but the scars did not appear. Whenever they saw their scars on their hearts, the misunderstanding among the ethnic nationals triggers the conflicts.
Now, we all know the root cause of the injuries on the hearts. So, we should seek the appropriate drugs to be used in treating the injuries. Thanks to the successive governments and the entire people, we all have already known the appropriate drugs for the injuries. Peace is the best medicine for curing injuries based on a misunderstanding. We have to restore the peace. We have to bring peace into the hearts of the ethnic national people.
Nowadays, all the entire people cannot fully enjoy the fruits of independence. We can see the impacts of internal conflicts and terror acts across the nation. All the people are waiting for the time to restore the perpetual peace throughout the nation. It will be the best award for them. Such a best award is not far from here.
In line with the speech of General Aung San, if we want to enjoy the fruits of independence, we have to change our old, worse mindsets. If we have changed our mindsets, we all would have a common opinion to rebuild the nation based on democracy and federalism.
Since 2018, the Tatmadaw has been issuing a large number of statements with the aim of restoring perpetual peace. It suspended one-sided military operations from 2018 to the end of February 2022, showing its genuine goodwill for the restoration of perpetual peace. Hence, all signatories and non-signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) should consider the potentials of the statements issued by the Tatmadaw whether it leads to the prosperity of the nation or a worse situation.
As the essence of democracy, all stakeholders of the nation need to analyze everything related to the future of the nation. They all have to choose the similarities as a common concept and set aside the non-similarities. They all have to implement the similarities at first while trying to reach a compromise for the non-similarities. Those stakeholders should seek the best way for solving the non-similarities based on the compromise. Gradually, they may transform the non-similarities into similarities. That day all the national people aspire would be the most significant and auspicious for the motherland.
Now is the time to hold the dialogues instead of fighting. All the people wish to hear the sweet sound of white doves instead of the noisy gunfire. The day when all stakeholders changed their mindsets will be ceasing the noisy gunfire. The whole Myanmar country will be peaceful and prosperous. Verily, as every dream is not implemented, it will be just a dream. Otherwise, the dreams can be turned into true. To do so, all the national people, as well as all stakeholders of the country, should march towards a better society of Myanmar with new mindsets.
Once, internal conflicts and terror acts left the nation with damaged parts of property, life, limb, blood and fear in the nation. Everybody knows these were undesirable events that brought physical and mental injuries to the souls of the people. Now is a good chance for them to solve their dissatisfactions and losses on the table of dialogue. The successfulness in the dialogue can transform their arms and ammunition into the doves for peace. How wonderful it is!
The journey from end to end is not a far distance. Likewise, the journey from hatred to peace is not far distant. We all should seek the ways and means to shrink the distance. Although the people and stakeholders start their trip from the hatred, they are sure to find peace at the end of the other side. We all have already know the answer to the question. So, everybody should not waste the valuable time of their lives. We all should join hands in marching towards the gold.
The entire people have been dreaming of the emergence of a democratic nation. Such a country must practise multiparty democracy. Seven regions and seven states are combined as a Union. Currently, the government is shaping the Union based on democracy and federalism.
We have to prioritize the desire of the majority and recognize the desire of the minority in line with the essence of democracy whenever we face a situation to make decisions. As such, if we face two options to hand down the decision, the option of the majority must be implemented without fail but the option of the minority must be considered whether it should be implemented or not. If necessary, the option of the minority must also be implemented. If all options are beneficial to the State, we need to implement both options as part of the creation of satisfaction for both sides. If so, those from the majority and the minority will sustain the mutual understanding, trust and respect between them. Consequently, their consideration will create unity and harmony in nation-building tasks. If so, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar would be a paradise for the posterities in the future.
Let’s change our mindsets!
