Party for Democracy and Peace Chairman U Myo Nyunt presented party’s policy, stance and work programmes through radio and TV on 11 September.
Greetings to all respected citizens of Myanmar
I am U Myo Nyunt, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Party for Democracy and Peace. I pray for the wellbeing and safety of all eligible voters and citizens of the republic.
I will divide my speech into five parts to fill in the time I have been given to talk to you. I will talk about how the Party for Democracy and Peace was created, our party’s outlook and work programmes, our policy going into the elections, the right for voters to make their own choice, and our request to all voters.
I will first explain the history of our party. We were initially formed as the League for Democracy and Peace by U Nu, the first Prime Minister of the independent Myanmar, in August 1988. Still, we changed our name to fit the changing political situation in the country and reformed in 2010.
Our party’s party is based on the beliefs and outlook paved by U Nu on the four cardinal virtues. We firmly believe in revitalizing democracy in Myanmar through those beliefs, and we developed this party with a firm grasp on the four virtues.
I would like to expand upon our history a bit more. The League for Democracy and Peace was abolished with 90 other political parties in 1990. We were able to reform into the Party for Democracy and Peace as the political situation changed in 2010. In the 30 years from the League for Democracy and Peace to the Party for Democracy and Peace, the path we took was not scattered with flowers but was a hard, jagged road surrounded by thorns and thickets that shaped us for the better. We are implementing a historical mission to spread the democratism and democratic system based on the four cardinal virtues across Myanmar and the rest of the world.
I would like to expound on our democratism based on the four cardinal virtues -- benevolence, sympathy, altruistic joy and equanimity. Only a society that understands, accepts and practises these four virtues can possess democratism, democratic system, institutions, organizations, and practice sustainably.
Some people believe these virtues are only relevant for Buddhists, but that is not true. It is a humanistic concept that can be practised by any person from any background, race or faith.
If we analyze Myanmar society, we will see that community has lived under a centralized administration of politics and economy for half a century from 1962 to 2010. It is not surprising that such a society had shattered basic morals. Democratism and democratic system cannot survive in such a society. That is why we cannot rebuild democratism and democratic system in Myanmar with just democracy alone. We need all citizens of Myanmar to work hand in hand through the four virtues regardless of ethnicity or social background. That is why our party firmly grasps democratism based on the four virtues. Our party’s policy is ‘not to seek vengeance but to wipe the slate clean’, in other words ‘not to revenge but to forgive’. On this policy-based we will proceed our democracy and peace rehabilitation process.
Esteemed voters
Allow me to go into detail on our policy. It is simply about the Defence Services and all political entities, including those who are armed and unarmed, within and outside legal boundaries, who are all directly or indirectly involved in the armed conflicts across the nation caused by the use of violence to resolve political issues in our county to firmly decide to wipe the slate clean of all past things done by one to the other and vowing to not seek vengeance.
All stakeholders need to truly and honestly believe in this to instil peace across the nation. This is the only kind of peace that can be everlasting and far-reaching. Only a society with that peace, or in other words that possesses the four virtues, can have democratism and democratic system. That is why our party is pursuing this policy not to seek vengeance and to wipe the slate clean.
Our work programmes based on this policy are as follows:
1. In the 2010 pre-election period, our party campaigned for a democratic federal union, and we campaigned for the next government administration to continue the Union Peace Conference started by the government headed by President U Thein Sein back in 2015. We are now actively working for the next government administration to take office after 2020 to harmoniously cooperate with the Defence Services in unity for Myanmar’s peace process.
2. We wish to change the current situation where the peace process is in uneven progress, democracy is not yet mature, and federalism is somewhat out of reach to a stable, peaceful and developed society.
3. We wish to transform the antiquated land-based economy and pull the nation out of poverty to modern land and agrobased economy without ‘ground rent’ and a developed industrial union.
4. We aim to elevate administration, judicial, democratic education, healthcare, and social affairs at a balanced rate simultaneously with our work in national and union economy.
5. We aim to alleviate the Defence Services of their political responsibilities, which they have been per-forming together with their national defence duties for various reasons for decades, and ease their bur-den at a gradual pace. In this regard, taking into account of both the background history of Myanmar and geopolitically balancing of powers between superpowers, we are going together to some extent of time for steady handover of their responsibilities.
6. We take it as our national duty to stand with the citizens of the nation and oppose the dangers of religious and ethnic extremists that resort to violence to take over our lands and the foreign powers that support them.
I would now like to detail our party’s operation in the November 2020 elections based on the outlook, and work programmes explained earlier.
Esteemed people
We simply view the 2008 Constitution as something that came into existence as a historical necessity during a certain point in our history and not as something that is democratic and comprehensive. We view the elections held in 2010 and 2015 that were based on this Constitution simply as milestones on our road to democracy and federalism and the upcoming November 2020 elections as another milestone on that difficult road as well. And the government that will form after that will simply be one to lead reforms of transitional period.
Because of the political and security issues occurring across the nation, and our party’s financial and campaigning resources for implementing the ‘historical mission’, we will only be contesting for three seats in Yangon Region, and they are 2 Pyithu Hluttaw constituencies for Tamway Township and Ma-yangon Township and regional constituency 1 for Dagon Myothit (Seikkan) Township.
Esteemed voters
Now, I would like to talk about the rights of all voters. Our party believes in the following morally po-litical truths:
1. Nothing can be accomplished without the people.
2. Nothing can be accomplished without elections.
3. The people must be allowed to vote their representative through credible elections.
4. If they are refused this right, then the people will make their own choice.
Allowing the people to vote for their representatives in the coming elections will only conform with the truths. Each and every voter has the opportunity to create their own destiny but if they are unable to fully utilize that right in the elections either through coercion, intimidation or other undemocratic means will destroy the rights they had. I would like to request the Union Election Commission, the political parties, big and small, the candidates, their supporters, authoritative bodies and observers all work together to uphold the democratic values in order to achieve the goal.
In conclusion, I wish to implore the public to cast their votes for our Party for Democracy and Peace whose democratism and democratic system based on the four cardinal virtues will be the most suitable path for Myanmar to reforming its democracy and establishing federalism. Our party representatives who will be implementing this are each filled with political experience, loyalty to the democratic cause, have made personal sacrifices, and are equipped with the best skills and education. I make this request on behalf of the Party for Democracy and Peace in all earnestly.
I also urge you to cast your votes for the representatives of our kindred political parties, who are of true democratic blood coursing through their veins, and are working just as hard as our political party to es-tablish a federal union based on democracy, peace, national economic development, unity and solidarity from all across the country.
Thank you very much.
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