Eighty-seven years ago, Myanmar achieved national victory over Yangon University Act, which the British government had enacted to prolong their rule, through the consolidation of the entire people. The General Council of Burmese Associations (GCBA) designated the 10th Waning of Tazaungmon, on which the entire people opposed the Act, as National Day.
Every year, the 10th Waning of Tazaungmon is observed as National Day throughout the nation to rekindle the national spirit of the people. Then, the people came to arm themselves with anti-colonialist sentiment and he spirit of safeguarding independence. They managed to regain sovereignty or independence through national spirit or the spirit of regaining independence. Then, the National Day came into existence.
Throughout the independence struggles, the people strove for realizing the bounden duty of regaining independence, singing the song “Doh Myanmar” by YMBA Thakin Tin. After the nation regained independence, the entire people managed to safeguard and protect the motherland through national spirit whenever the nation’s independence came under threats triggered by sectarianism, personality cult, attachment to the party concerned and power craving.
In the course of independence struggles, the people made all-out efforts to regain independence. After regaining independence, the people took a vow to safeguard the nation at risk to their lives if necessary in accordance with the expression carried in the National Anthem that “We love the motherland, our heritage. We take a vow to protect the Union at risk to our lives”.
Being rich in natural resources along with fertile soil, Myanmar has a prosperous future. The entire people are now shouldering nation-building duties with national spirit to be able to fully enjoy the taste of independence.
The people have entered into the national politics through national spirit in the national interest. The national politics means serving the interests of the nation with national vigour based on nationalistic spirit. In the national politics, being faithful to the motherland is the nation’s soul, with which the people can serve national interest without alien instigation, dogmatism and attachment to the party concerned. So, national politics is pure.
In the colonial days, various national races of hilly regions and the plains were well equipped with the spirit of cherishing the motherland in launching the movements for driving the colonialists out of the nation. The spirit can be called patriotic spirit or nationalistic spirit. The national spirit the entire people cultivated with unanimous consent shaped the national politics.
The national spirit is not associated with dogmatism, influence, scepticism, attachment to the party concerned, sectarianism and personality cult. So, national spirit strengthens national unity. National spirit is the driving force behind the movements for regaining independence, safeguarding independence, enjoying the taste of independence, and serving national interest. Those who lack national faithfulness, harming national interest, deliberately failing to discharge national duty, and turning back to national politics are national traitors. A handful of the national traitors dare not face the national force comprising the entire national people.
The three national duties Myanmar people have to put in the fore — non-disintegration of the Union, non-disintegration of national solidarity and perpetuation of sovereignty — are also the three bounden duties they have to see to. No one wants to face a situation in which his home is destroyed. Similarly, no citizen wants to see the collapse of the Union, home to various national races. This is the concept of the people of the Union. Utilizing the strength of national unity, the people managed to regain independence and safeguard it, and build national solidarity and achieve national development, with which they could enjoy the fruits of independence. So, each and every citizen is responsible for performing national duty of safeguarding the Union for its perpetual existence. It is the strength of national unity through which the people manage to regain independence and ensure the development of the nation. Therefore, ensuring non-disintegration of national solidarity is a national duty, as well.
Today, old colonialists and neo-colonialists are scheming to invade, interfere and destroy the nations that have regained their independence. The main national duty of the people is to protect and safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and independence, while overcoming the threats of the colonialists. The three national duties are indeed bounden duties the entire people have to uphold and realize.
It is required to use advanced methods and technology to transform Myanmar into a prosperous land. And the drive for national development calls for an environment that is free from any forms of destructive activities. With this concept, “building of a peaceful, modern and developed democratic nation with flourishing discipline” has been designated as the national goal or the goal of the Union.
To achieve the goal, the government is implementing the State’s seven-step Road Map. So far, the National Convention has been held successfully and the fundamental principles and detailed basic principles have been adopted with a unanimous consent to draft a constitution. In other words, more than 1000 delegates to the National Convention have discharged a national duty successfully.
Now, preparations are being made to implement the second step. And the third step of drafting a constitution is now in progress. As soon as the constitution is drafted, it will be adopted through a referendum. This is the fourth step. The fifth step is to hold free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution, the sixth, to convene Hluttaws attended by Hluttaw members in accordance with the new constitution for election of the President and forming of the government, and the seventh, to build a modern, developed and democratic nation by the state leaders elected by the Hluttaw; and the government and other central organs formed by the Hluttaw.
The national political leadership role lies at the centre of the drive for achieving the national goal and realizing national duties through national spirit, national vigour and national solidarity. The people are therefore urged to work hard together applying national spirit to win national victory.