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NLD Statement 1(1/00) translation



National League for Democracy
No: (97/B), West Shwegonedine Road
Bahan Township, Rangoon

Statement 1(1/00) (translation)

On the Occasion of the 52nd anniversary of Independence


We have entered the 21st century and today, 4th January 2000, is the 52nd 
anniversary of the Union of Burma's independence.

The architect of our Independence, our national hero and martyr, father of 
the Burmese Independence Army (BIA) Bogyoke Aung San addressed his men on 
the eve of their departure from Thailand (then Siam where the army was 
formed) to enter the war zone in Burma.  Those utterances reflect the long 
and difficult struggle under harsh mental and physical conditions when they 
struggled with all their might risking their lives for Burma's independence.

"xxxx Yebaws (comrades) -- if you cannot sacrifice your lives, your wife and 
children, your home, your property, I do not wish you to join the Burmese 
Independence Army xxxxxxxx"

"xxxxx Yebaws, we do not have any provisions or food to eat while we fight. 
As far as clothing goes we have nothing. This is why my comrades, throughout 
the war the ground is where we will have to sleep, sands and stones is all 
we will have to eat.  This is all I can afford. This will be the rank and 
rights you will gain for serving in Burma's Independence Army"

" Have no expectations of becoming rich men.  The luckiest reward will be 
death."

(From the sparse speeches of Bogyoke Aung San)

These were the sacrifices and risks taken to gain independence. We are 
greatly indebted to the warriors who fought for our independence. Never ever 
should this be forgotten.

Burma (Myanmar) was a proud independent kingdom for nearly two thousand 
years with all the paraphernalia that goes with royalty. However on the 1st 
of January 1886, the British imperialists arrogantly proclaimed that it had 
taken over the country.

>From the day that sovereignty and independence was lost the ethnic races 
viz. Kachins, Karens, Kayahs, Chins, Burmese, Mons, Rakhines, Shans and 
others living in Burma struggled to free themselves from the yoke of serfdom 
on many occasions and in various ways but were not successful.

Independence is important for the people and a brief recount of this 
struggle will set an example for the youth and the new generation.

The Young Men's Buddhist Association (YMBA) (religious organisation with a 
political undertone) was formed in 1906 to promote the social, religious, 
and literary interests of young Burmese.

The events that occurred and followed are:
?h 1920 - the formation of the General Council of Burmese Associations 
(GCBA)
?h 1920 the Rangoon University students strike
?h 1930 the peasants revolt
?h 1936 Students strike
?h 1941 Formation of the Burma Independence Army (BIA) led by Bogyoke Aung 
San
?h Formation of the Burma Defense Army (BDA)
?h Formation of Burma National Army (BNA)
?h 1945, 27 May, Formation of the Anti Fascist movement headed by Bogyoke 
Aung San.
?h Formation of the PBF -Patriotic Burmese Forces.
?h 1945 Formation of the regular Burmese Tatmadaw

The world recognized and extolled the Burmese who successfully repelled the 
Fascists and acknowledged Bogyoke Aung San as the true leader of the 
country. Under his leadership all the inhabitants of the country united and 
gained independence.

Also, following our victory over the Fascists, the British imperialists had 
been left considerably weakened after the 2nd World War and most of their 
colonies were revolting demanding independence. The British realized their 
inability to control their colonies.

Under these circumstances it was not necessary to go to war for Burma's 
independence and Bogyoke Aung San and his colleagues comprehended that 
negotiation and peaceful means was the way to go. But they were prepared to 
fight if it was necessary.

The leaders continued tirelessly in their efforts to get the support of the 
people. In 1945 the "Naythuyein" public meeting was held where the British 
"white paper" policy was strenuously opposed which effectively put a check 
on the British governments rule. Other public meetings were held on the 
middle terrace of the Shwedagon Pagoda and in the Cantonment garden to rally 
the people and get their support.

Bogyoke Aung San was able to capture and build up unity amongst the ethnic 
groups. The country's independence is a matter of politics and as such he 
resorted to political means for solutions.

Bogyoke Aung San's leadership was so apparent that he received an invitation 
by the British colonial government and after discussions and negotiations, 
on the 27 January 1947 the Aung San-Atlee Agreement was signed.  Then to 
achieve unity and solidarity with all the ethnic races dwelling in Burma he 
was able to reach an understanding with them and the Panglong Agreement was 
signed on the 12 February 1947.  He was able to boldly proclaim that 
independence would be gained within one year.

Under Bogyoke Aung San's leadership the constitution for an independent 
Burma was written in 1947.

Final adjustments were completed and on the 4th of January 1948, freedom 
from being slaves of another was obtained and independent Burma, a sovereign 
state was born.

Bogyoke Aung San's description quoted below is very pertinent.
"Independence was not a copper coin flung into a beggar's bowl. It was a 
hard won victory gained through struggle and risk."
(Taken from Dr. Maung Maung's book "How our Union of Burma's constitution 
was written")

These words should be forever inscribed in our hearts so that we will never 
forget the value of independence which we must always defend.

The essence of independence is freedom,  Only when its entire people have 
freedom this essence will be secure. Only when sovereign power is in the 
hands of the people the essence of independence will be enjoyed. Bogyoke 
Aung San's utterances in relation to this subject was-

"xxx  a country may be independent, but if the people have no freedom, they 
cannot say what they want; they cannot express their thoughts that are just 
and correct; they cannot give away what they want to; they cannot do what 
they want. Under the Japanese, the country had independence but you kept 
your mouth shut out of fear. That was independence with a sword hanging over 
your head.  The people were not free. xxxx " (Excerpt from speech given at 
the AFPFL conference on 23-1-46)

In the preamble of the 1947 constitution these facts are precisely 
mentioned.
It reads:

"WE, THE PEOPLE OF BURMA including the Frontier Areas and the Karenni 
states, Determined to establish in strength and unity a SOVEREIGN 
INDEPENDENT STATE, To maintain social order on the basis of the eternal 
principles of JUSTICE, LIBERTY AND EQUALITY and To guarantee and secure to 
all citizens JUSTICE social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, 
expression, belief, faith, worship, vocation, association and action; 
EQUALITY of status, of opportunity and before the law, IN	OUR CONSTIUENT  
ASSEMBLY, this Tenth day Thadingyut waxing, 1309 B.E. (Twenty fourth of 
September , 1947 A.D.) DO HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE OURSELVES THIS 
CONSTITUTION.

Moreover Section 34 of Chapter IV states -
"The State shall pay special attention to the young and promote their 
education."

Section 36 states -
"The State shall regard the raising of the standard of living of its people 
and the improvement of public health as among its primary duties."

Bogyoke Aung San and his martyred colleagues with great foresight and desire 
for the health, education and prosperity of the people conferred with 
economic experts and knowledgeable people and what is known as the "Sorento 
Villa" two year plan was written (dated 6 June, 1947).

The object of such planning was to bring about immediate economic recovery. 
A way to solve the immediate hardships. It was also a reminder to the 
authorities that they had it in their power to bring about change and it was 
up to them to implement plans with sincerity and good will.  To use their 
knowledge and experience to the best of their ability.  This is the same 
kind of situation that we face today under the dictators in power. But, this 
is not what is happening today.

Politics denotes all the affairs of the people and the country.  Actually it 
is concern for the human life. Some political scholars say, "man is a 
political animal".  Politics is intertwined with man's basic needs like 
food, clothing, living conditions, and wealth.  They cannot be separated.

For this reason, Bogyoke Aung San in his utterances declared that 
immediately after independence was obtained it would be necessary to be 
committed to making plans and successfully implementing them for immediate 
economic recovery. That in the fields of trade and finance there should be 
free partnership and association and that urgent steps be taken for recovery 
of national wealth to its original state. As genuine patriotic leaders, 
though the country was still in a state of war, they were fully cognizant of 
the importance of the economic welfare of the people.

But under the military dictators of today even our original wealth has been 
destroyed. Because of their policy of  "My horse, I ride" and their various 
projects, using extreme authority, making demands, not having the 
qualifications, ignoring the people's wishes, and stubbornly not wanting to 
consult, the entire national wealth has been squandered and reduced. Their 
only consideration is for self and power preservation. Ignoring the true 
situation, they put on airs and shout out about the seemingly good things 
with a willful determination to push ahead and not examine or make proper 
assessment of what has been done.  The country is poverty stricken and 
undeveloped. To get relief it is necessary to get loans from the World Bank 
and other financial institutions just like what similar situated countries 
are doing.

The findings of the World Bank are:-
Burma has the natural resources and labour but the government's poor 
economic management has caused irretrievable loss.  If the government 
continues in its present policies it is likely to exacerbate poverty and 
devastate national cohesion.  Therefore major and in-depth economic reform 
was necessary. Reforms recommended were:
(a) Foreign Exchange regulations.
(b) Internal and external free trade of rice.
(c) Budget reform
(d) Freedom in private enterprise
(e) Privatize national enterprises and reform those national enterprises 
that remain.

In the first 10 years of the 1990s though the economy had improved somewhat, 
the poor derived no benefits. The government needs a plan for a better 
distribution of wealth. One of the findings of the World Bank was that 
compared to other Asian countries the life span in Burma was decreasing 
especially with children and this was cause for concern.

The true situation in Burma today is the instability and deteriorating 
national prosperity. Declining economic activity and degenerating social 
intercourse has resulted in loss of trust in one another. Dearth of 
compassion, selfishness and absence of equity in politics is prevalent. This 
has lowered the morale and character.  The students and the youth have no 
future. People have no security.  Misconduct of the people in government at 
every level is transparent.

The deterioration and instability of the country's education is of special 
significance. People have lost faith in the health system. Forced labour 
without payment is the cultivator's lot. They suffer like slaves, serfs, 
servants at the hands of the military and their cohorts. Corruption is a 
survival necessity for civil servants and workers. The gap between urban and 
rural dwellers is wide.  Divide and rule methods are employed with the 
ethnic races. Economic policy is designed to benefit the rulers and their 
families only.

National unity has been destroyed. There is no genuine unity. Democratic 
rights have been unjustly and illegally set back.  Human Rights are 
systematically violated.  All this is happening because the expressed wishes 
of the people and their representatives have been ignored and because of the 
determination for preservation of power and authority for themselves and 
their relatives.

In a democratic country;-
Sovereign power lies with the people, which then devolve on its 
representatives through elections. They make laws and take responsibility 
for governing the country.  People can openly associate and live. The courts 
are independent and can make impartial judgments.  Civil servants discharge 
their duties with loyalty and honesty. People freely pursue knowledge, get 
education with freedom to work and worship.

Now, the military dictators are ignoring the results of the 1990 elections. 
They have arrested and incarcerated the representatives that the people have 
elected. They find fault and imprison some.  Many parliamentarians are still 
suffering imprisonment and forced incarceration.  Illegal pressure has been 
applied to force others to resign without proper consultation or legal 
advice from any one.

In dictatorships, the people's vote has no value. Weapons are relied upon.  
Power is exercised with a dangling sword over an individual's or a group of 
individual's heads. Torture and killing continues. Objectors and dissidents 
are subjugated and crushed.  Rule by force results in loss of trust in the 
people and fear of opposition.  That is why they need secret services of 
many varieties to keep them informed about what the people are saying. 
Torture, harass, arrest, incarcerate, imprison are the tactics they use.

When the individuals belonging to groups committed to opposing the 
dictatorship expose the dictators' methods and activities, they are 
illegally framed and sentenced to the maxim period prescribed and even after 
the full period has been served they are again held under a different 
unjustifiable law.

The courts are subjected to the authority of the dictators.  They are sham 
courts that do as they are ordered to by the dictators and they act as 
cover-ups for them.

Civil servants are at the mercy of these dictators. Every wish has to be 
fulfilled to protect themselves from the anger and displeasure of their 
bosses, which could result in loss of positions, imprisonment and 
punishment.

This is not confined to the educators, workers, cultivators, civil servants, 
traders and others in every walk of life, it extends to the members of the 
sangha. Their existence is not peaceful either. If their teachings and 
preachings go beyond the territory and does not suit the practices of the 
dictators they are pulled back, threatened and intimidated, manipulated, 
given special favours, split and divided.
Deceitful tactics and strategies to crush, subjugate, flatten out, and to 
keep the people in darkness are the characteristics of dictatorships.

The military dictators in Burma today are not planning how to meet the 
future. They have ignored the fate of the future generation by destroying 
the existing projects, organisations and educational facilities. They 
disregard good scholarly advice and continue stubbornly and without proper 
consideration and study the projects they have started and are working only 
for the benefit of their relatives and associates. As the saying goes, "The 
gold glitters, but stomachs are hollow" is the situation today.

In democratic countries where the government is by the elected 
representatives, there is the obligation and duty to doggedly strive to 
fulfil the wishes of the people. Whatever the government does or wants to do 
is fully explained and submitted to the people.  In matters of trade and 
commerce and social welfare, there has to be openness and accountability 
without false and misleading representations.  Political parties act like a 
bridge connecting the people with the government. How different from what is 
happening here? Every conceivable deceitful means is eternally used to 
destroy the political parties.

To gain prosperity and respectability for the people and the country and as 
a member of the United Nations, in matters of trade, social welfare, 
administration, education, health, environment there should be interchange 
of ideas, information and expertise, compliance with diplomatic norms and 
established practices of the international body and cooperation with 
organisations promoting human rights. This is how representatives of the 
people should be governing. The dictators here think that they have plucked 
out a country and that it has now become their personal property.

The military dictators have illegally and by excessive use of power arrested 
parliamentarians and members of the National League for Democracy.  They 
have forced them illegally to resign from the party. They have destroyed the 
lives and well being of family members and friends of the NLD. Threats, 
harassment and devious means have been employed for their stagnation in life 
by denying their children the legal right to education.

Because of all this the problems of today will never be solved and can never 
be solved. The military dictators have full knowledge of how countries of 
the world operate to bring about peace.  But they choose not to adopt those 
procedures because they want to cling to power.  But the National League for 
Democracy has firmly committed itself to keep on working for the 
extinguishment of all these injustices.

We have gained freedom from the control of a foreign country.  The country 
has gained independence and likewise every citizen alike must enjoy the 
taste of equality and freedom. We must be able to enjoy the freedom that is 
enjoyed by free people in a free country. Burma today is suffering under the 
tyranny of the military dictators though we have come out of bondage to a 
foreign government. The people of Burma are denied the freedom that belongs 
to free countries.  We remain slave people.

The most important point for considerable thought deep down in our hearts is 
as long as democracy and human rights are not restored to Burma, the people 
and citizens of Burma will be denied freedom and the rights and privileges 
they are entitled to as free and equal citizens. Under whatever guise that 
may be adopted, life under the military dictators will be miserable, and 
surrounded by fear.

The National League for Democracy will apply non-violent means to get 
freedom for the people and solve their political, economic and social 
problems. We will consult with all the races, negotiate and find solutions. 
We will resort to peaceful means.  This is our plan for the future.

We seriously urge you to join with the National League for Democracy as we 
commit ourselves and strive to achieve for Burma, our mother country, 
genuine freedom that will be everlasting and its people highly respected by 
all; to transform it into a modern democratic country established on this 
planet earth in the 21st century with all its ethnic races enjoying full and 
equal human rights.


Central Executive Committee
National League for Democracy
Rangoon

4 January 2000



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