SAC meeting chaired by SAC chairman Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing

March 25

A meeting of the State Administration Council was held this morning at the office of Chairman of State Administration Council here with an address by Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

Other attendees included State Administration Council Deputy Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win, the Secretary General of the SAC Aung Lin Dway, the SAC Joint Secretary General Ye Win Oo, SAC members, and authorities.

Goodwill visits to the Russian Federation and Republic of Belarus promoting cooperation

As invited by President of the Russian Federation Mr. Wladimir Putin, the Senior General visited the country on a State Visit in the first week of March, in which he added his words. During the visit, he had, at the invitation of President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, made a State Visit to the Republic of Belarus.

The Senior General had engaged meeting with President Mr Putin at two countries meeting and separate meeting, thus, able to promote bilateral cooperation at the two countries including at economic and defence sectors during the visit.

Discussions also included topics regarding Myanmar’s internal peace, election and the move towards a multi-party democracy.

Bilateral agreements on economy and investment signed show Russia’s readiness to develop cooperation with Myanmar. At the meeting with officials of parliaments, cooperation between two countries’ parliaments and Myanmar study teams were sent to Russian parliaments.

While visiting St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk, the Senior General and the governors discussed further steps to promote economic cooperation, tourism exchanges and cooperation in science and technology, as well as updating on plans to foster cooperation in the field of space science and technology.

The Senior General during the trip met with President Alexander Lukashenko and signed agreements to boost cooperation in science and technology, agriculture-based industries, pharmaceutical industries, education sector, dairy production and other sectors. Thus, we had successful State Visits to Russia and Belarus.

Some legal setups required for conducting an election

The governing body is working to conduct a free multi-party democracy general election. Earlier, SAC had stated that it would conduct the election within two years of its tenure.

However, holding an election at time post-COVID-19 period and back at the time when nation required stability was completely out of the question. There was a possibility of conducting full enumeration in certain townships for the accurate voter list through the 2024 population and housing census, however in some other townships this enumeration campaigns could not be done. Eligible U18 voters are recorded on enumerated lists.

So, a tentative date has also been fixed for the election on the third and fourth week of December this year or first and second week of January. In past elections, the counting was done based on the ballots.

The Election Commission has been long suffering and it is common knowledge how, during the tripartite election, advanced voting, printing, issuing of new directives and instructions and amendments against election law had taken place—these acts had paved the way for votes to be rigged and voter lists to be inflated. Following the experiences above the above incidents, the government is working to introduce the Electronic Voting Machine system after studying the conventions in other countries. The price is very high but it is appropriate to Myanmar and helps, stop the vote rigging.

The government must take proactive steps to ensure that a fraud-free general election of a multiparty democracy is held in a free and fair manner. The election law has provisions that the election must take place within a day if it is feasible; it should take place on a public holiday, and it should be announced in advance. So there is no time restriction on the election. In the history of Myanmar, only one election could not be held in the decade-long parliamentary democratic period, due to internal armed conflicts.

The only imperative here is successfully holding the election. In relation with the success of Pyidaungsu Hluttaw and Amyotha Hluttaw meeting, there are provisions with the Constitution. This applies to the region/state social hluttaws too since they elect their own chief minister.

The poll will be held on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at respective regions and states, which would allow the electorates to vote and get the results after a while. This means voter list could be verified and processed in a day or two and elections could be successfully completed in eligible townships in a month. International practices are beinfg studied and implemented for advance voting. Advance voting is not permitted in some countries. As voting will be done through EVMs, voters will have to go to polling stations to cast their votes.

Voting rights for Tatmadaw members and police on duty, and Myanmar citizens under legal residency abroad should also be taken into consideration. When it comes to advance voting, discussions and consultations are encouraged. Nevertheless, the election must be conducted by January next year.

As for political parties, it said they can contest the elections, as per the law. It also strongly considered the case of parties (بروپوس) that had been dissolved for reasons among which was their violation of regulations.

They stressed that their actions were taken in accordance with the 2008 Constitution, and that the state’s responsibilities were thus being met.

It was also said that the state’s imposing of power is being carried out on a temporary basis in compliance with the law, which is agreed by some who recognize legal concepts, whilst others, who cannot or are reluctant to comprehend such principles, deny it. Those how wish to contest the elections must realize that the legislature is all about law making. The legislative power regulates and controls the executive and judicial branches by means of legal rulings. Especially, whenever one has an engagement in a party, they have to be well aware of the law and they must keep it in their action and give it priority.

Best Ideas for potentials prospects of lessons learnt of political transformation of State beyond 2025

Now coming to the future possibilities beyond 2025, our country, after gaining independence, introduced the 1947 Constitution which was drafted and ratified by the Constituent Assembly in 1947. Influenced by India’s constitutional framework, this constitution established a parliamentary democratic system. That was the post-World War II Era, an era characterized by the ideological competition between socialism and capitalism. And the country also witnessed fissures within blocs that championed socialism, liberalism and democracy. These historical events are important lessons. So politically we have opted for multi-party democracy.

Without political consciousness, knowledge, and expertise, democracy cannot be implemented. The political issues further out, however, might get even juicier. The multi-party democratic system must be made stable and non-volatile, which is something that must be thought of and put into action.

Geopolitical position, on the other hand, places the nation between two regional powers with divergent ideologies, and has led to “structural vulnerabilities” in the country based on its geographical location. As such, it becomes imperative to anticipate, and prepare for both political and geopolitical challenges.

Education should be reformed very forcibly

In this case, we need to actively work to enhance the knowledge and abilities of our people. Myanmar has a population of roughly 51 million, with about 30 percent of the population in urban areas and some 70 percent living in rural settings. Indeed, when looking at the academic and vocational education attainment rates, the literacy rate is near 90 percent, and the rate of educational attainment is less than 50 percent of the total population.

A country will face so many problems because a country is built with an uneducated and unskilled population. People who have attended the “National Discipline Based Schools” may behave differently than those who have not. In addition, Individually this will sometime in the future will directly affect the political stability in the country. Thus, everyone should consider those who lack access to formal education.

Instead there must be people talking about non-formal mediation and seek for knowledge activities, building up community libraries, supporting the operation of libraries and reading circles. This effort will help strengthen opportunities for lifelong learning outside the classroom. The average national pass rate for university entrance exams was about 35 percent between 2012 and 2024, meaning the majority (around 65 percent) of students failed the university entrance exam.

So the need to think about how to help those who were unsuccessful. In hearing of the gap of skilled human resources in Myanmar, we had discussions with relevant ministries. Hence, Polytechnic Universities were opened in Nay Pyi Taw and in States and Regions.

Technical high schools, government technical colleges, and industrial training centres were also opened. Moreover, steps are taken in setting up Polytechnic Institutes for the students who finish upper secondary school but did not succeed to clear the final exams. “Establishment of the first Polytechnic Institute will open in Nay Pyi Taw and similar centres will be opened in other states and regions.

In the upcoming academic year, students that failed the university entrance exam will have the option to be placed into one-year and multi-year training programmes at Polytechnic Institutes. Appointing teachers and providing teaching materials, among other necessary preparations, are currently underway.

On education, the Senior General said, “This ispart of the explanation about the country’s  situation after 2025 in education and human resources. The education sector is in desperate need of reform. It’s true that we have a broken education system and that its failings permeate everything.

We have to change accordingly. You can encourage education, not interfere in their life and guide them towards the way of learning. In turn, this helps national development and achieves aspirations we have in all areas we aspire to, including their children’s future as human resources,” he added. It’s the highest number since the 2021-2022 academic year when more than 220,000 students took the university entrance exam for the 2024- 2025 academic year. “I have spoken about the substance of education and we have been there working to (raise academics),” he said, adding he will continue to push participation in exams in coming years.

He thanked and congratulated all stakeholders of the elementary education such as administrative officials, security personnel, teachers, students as well as the local authority, village and ward, including the Ministry of Education for successfully conducting the university entrance examination without any disruption.

Helping Increase Domestic Production to Fulfill Market Demand and Strengthen the Economy

The country has vast resources to support the economy, but it has struggled to prosper.

Exporting rubber is in demand in the region, and if the country can export rubber and rubber products using rubber-based raw materials produced here, then the process and the country will reap the rewards of the finished products.

For instance, internationally, China, with a population of over 1.42 billion, ranks first, followed by India (over 1.46 billion), ASEAN (over 687 million), and Bangladesh (over 173 million), and together with all the above accounting for about half of the world’s population.

Since everyone wears shoes, it is conceivable to estimate how much rubber and leather is needed to manufacture shoes. * About 1 million different kinds of cars, and 5 million motorcycles, etc., are there in the country itself, with bigger numbers lying in India, China, and Bangladesh. A large amount of tires and rubber tubes are needed for these vehicles, which can be manufactured through local and foreign investment.

In the country of cotton, clothing and textiles need to be produced on a larger scale; both in-demand products on the market. Cottonbased industries must be developed, and highvalue clothing should be made from leather of livestock farming. Related to aquatic resources with high market demand, there is a need to promote production and export. Other agricultural products and farming products also need to be systematically cultivated to meet local market needs and to guarantee sufficient domestic consumption. Domestic agricultural and farming products should also be exported according to the market needs of neighboring countries. The state would also incur losses and income would also have been impacted due to not meeting the target yield and possibility of multiple cropping systems. So, jobs must be created so people can work. SAC members must also strive for widespread awareness in their region and state. He said that he had even calculated the loss that the agricultural sector suffered because of the failure to meet the goals and objectives. With 10 types of crops [including rice, beans and corn] not reaching their target, brought a more than US$-8 billion loss to the nation due to crop area. The total loss, accounting for the absence of multiple cropping, is about US$-19 billion.

He then talked about the problem of working abroad, the country is suffering from a dearth of workforce because of foreign employment. Hence, it is imperative to formulate opportunities for local jobs. After that, he called for people to work locally without traveling abroad, saying that he could find everything they need for development and growth in local workplaces, where they could have a safe life. In order to support the local workforce, they need access to technologies and job opportunities and industrial technologies, among others, to be able to work locally.

This is also a key part in the need for raw materials, crops like rice beans and corn are currently exported as raw materials. It could earn more money by turning the corn it grows into value-added items such as animal feed and corn flour. Likewise, processing rice and beans to generate high-quality finished products during processing could help fetch better export prices. With the growing population of the world the demand for food is on the rise daily, hence giving the country the opportunity to flourish through agriculture.

Hence, the need for a systematic review and concrete measures to strengthen the agricultural sector.

Council members were able to have conversations and present their own presentations

The council members and Joint Secretary insisted on guaranteeing a free and fair multi-party democratic general election under their government.

They also called for the reregistration of already existing political parties and the creation of new parties in accordance to the law, giving sufficient time and education and information. Emphasizing that nobody nor a group should be above the law, they stressed that all processes need to adhere strictly to the appropriate legal rubric. It also encouraged efforts to inform the public about the new election system, voting methods, and eligibility to vote.

They also stressed the need to get rid of armed terrorist activities in Kayah State and lowcost housing for people who lost their homes in terrorist attacks. Ward and village administrators were called on to ensure that they were highly disciplined to ensure the success of the election.

Moreover, promoting elephant foot yam cultivation and selecting a site to build factory of finished products were proposed to advance socioeconomic development of local community in Chin State. He also stressed the need to abide by specified qualifications for advance voting and to ensure its orderly conduct, as problems had arisen in previous elections.

Recommendations were identified at the national level; for example, conducting the Myanmar traditional Thingyan Festival as a national-level festival, being included in the World Intangible Cultural Heritage List and presenting Myanmar Thanaka for inclusion in the World Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Official Statement on October 03, 2023 According to the 24th Press Release of the Office of Information and Public Relations at the State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice Chairman of the State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister – importance of election of the Union and interest of the House of People to prepare accurate and correct voters list. All political parties must, therefore, compete based on the law, and the SAC Vice Chairman also reiterated that no one is above the law, with party registration processes needing to follow legal frameworks. The SAC Vice Chairman also reiterated the SAC’s continued commitment to the betterment of the country and that the enlistment of civilians for military service shall be carried out in accordance with the law.

The Senior General also said in the closing speech that the PR system will be implemented in elections for Union, Region, and State Hluttaws and that combining it with the First Past The Post (FPTP) electoral system used in elections for the National and Regional Hluttaws was possible.

If there is agreement to introduce the system, informed campaign dissemination would be carried out across the whole country, the Senior General said. Read Next: Senior General Urges To Prepare For Election Well There are about nine months left in preparations before the election is held.

The advance vote shall be conducted in a manner that does not disrupt the overall election process (i.e. it must not endanger other people being able to vote). At the same time, enough time has been given for the political parties to register.

A source close to the meeting said that they concluded focused on the need to boost the morale of the Myanmar people. The development of a region is the duty of its people, and the advancement of Myanmar is in the hands of Myanmar citizens.

It is the responsibility of every individual who resides in Myanmar to improve upon the value of the country. Security during the election preparation period was prioritised in this context. For the country to stand tall, all Myanmar people should be united.