Smooth peace processes much depend on the cooperation of the people and international community, says Senior General

 

December 31

 

IT is expected that peace talks will be held in the future to boost the benefits related to the peace, said Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing at the meeting 4/2021 of the Union government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar at the office of SAC Chairman in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday morning.

 

Speaking on the occasion, the Senior General said some restrictions of prevention, control and treatment of COVID-19 will be eased in some regions and states after coordinating with officials as the infection rate of the pandemic remarkably declines. But it is necessary to take care of the COVID-19 variant Omicron. Hence, hospitals have been prepared for the prevention, control and treatment of the disease with oxygen and drugs.

 

Prioritizing agriculture and livestock much supports the State economy. Except for some factories, most of the factories resume operation. The declining disease infection rate helps the tourism sector to resume.

 

The government always invites peace talks. As such, it is expected that peace talks will be held in the future to boost the benefits related to peace. Having all tasks concerning the last point of the five-point road map of the State Administration Council been accomplished, a new election will be held and the State power will be handed over to the winning party. Smooth peace processes depend on the cooperation of the people and the international community. The first four points of the roadmap support the last point. If one harms the first four points, it will be a hindrance to the last point. At present, the government will not change its policy.

 

Export volume increased from October to December, especially the export of agricultural products. With regard to the importation, palm oil and fuel oil import must be placed under control. Ministries must reduce the use of fuel oil without harming the work process. Efforts must be made to increase manufacturing rather than foodstuff and personal goods.

 

Regarding the storage of data at relevant ministries, the Senior General said: “At a meeting of the economic committee, our country is weak in the storage of data. It happened not only in the term of our government but in eras of successive governments. We don’t have documents and records. As we fell under colonial rules, our records were destroyed. It is very difficult to search for some documents. Some facts were extracted from the publications in the English language. Concerning our data, some of them were expressed on the palm leaves. Most of them were traditional medicine treatises. We have some records but most of them were traditional medicine treatises. If we want to know something, we are difficult to search the data. So, ministries need to systematically store the data. As another worsening one, when our offices moved to Nay Pyi Taw from Yangon, some data were left as useless ones. So, it is a root cause. Some data are not here but in Yangon.

 

For example, some documents are stored at National Library in Yangon but here. Some equipments related to culture are in Yangon and here. In PyinOoLwin, I asked to open a room at PyinOoLwin Railway Station. First, the room was shut. When I ordered to open the room, I found ancient photos depicting locomotives and railway stations. They are very valuable. Some persons do not understand the value of storing documents. We have to know why we changed. How do ministries change, how our political and economic affairs changed, how our economic forms changed? For example, how do matters related to paddy, beans, oil, rubber and rubber products change in agriculture? We have documents and records in the country. Now is very easy. This era is reachable for us. We can pick out data from the last three decades. If we do so, when time changes in the coming two decades, all the time would be 50 years. If we can search data in the last 30 years, such data would be 50 years old in the coming two decades. These would be very valuable. As predecessors did not store the data, we work difficultly. So, ministries need to address such weak points.”

 

Priority is being given in the sports and transport sectors. In the education sector being implemented for the 30 years plan, the past curriculums used in the past was edited for the topics not in conformity with the social system of the country. Officials need to supervise the systematic construction of the universities, lecture halls, halls and gymnasiums for ensuring long term existence.

 

The Union Ministers sought the approvals for the respective sectors. In his concluding remarks, the Senior General said ministries and region and state governments need to strive for securing the deserved taxes. They have to report the proposals for exemption of tax if it is true.

 

Despite foreign trade volume showing a surplus, the annual budget expresses deficiency. Ministries need to practise thrifty measures as much as possible and seek ways for earning more foreign exchange. Value-added products rather than the raw materials must be exported. It is necessary to seek ways for producing and exporting value-added products by effectively applying natural resources.

 

Myanmar and China have signed the agreement on the direct exchange of Yuan and Kyat. Now, the government has agreed with Thailand and India to use the direct exchange of currencies of both countries.

 

A plan was set to vaccinate 50 per cent of the total population of the country in December. The Ministry of Health reported that more than 51 per cent of people above 18 and over 87 per cent of students above 12 have been vaccinated. But they all need to abide by the COVID-19 restrictions.

 

Necessary measures must be taken for anyone not to reside in the ministerial lands under the laws and procedures. Primarily, they have to serve the State interests. The Diamond Jubilee Union Day falls in 2022 and the Diamond Jubilee Independence Day also falls in 2023. The Senior General underscored the need for ministries to further emphasize their respective sectors to contribute the best to the successful holding of Diamond Jubilee ceremonies. — MNA