Myanmar is a diverse country where multi-culture, multi-religious and multi-ethnic people reside. It belongs to everyone not only to a handful of dictators who for over six decades have refused to honour the intent of the Panglong Agreement. The Panglong agreement however can be seen to be founded on the principles of equality, self-determination, rule of law, justice and freedom.

In fact, the people of Myanmar, and especially the ethnic communities, have never lived under anyone before the British rule came to the county. We have always lived, side by side, not subordinated to one another. No one can claim to be above anyone else.

Prior to the colonial era, my own Chin state was a proud independent state for over 800 years, knowing no foreign ruler. We lived under our own chiefs, our own royal family, our own princesses and princes. The same was true for the other ethnic states across Myanmar.

Even though we came under British rule, our self-determination, our quality of life, and our freedom were never forgotten. Our heritage is that of self-determination, freedom, equality, and respect for all.

It is clear that General Aung San, the father of Myanmar’s independence, understood the principles of self-determination, equality, rule of law, respect and freedom that the ethnic minorities enjoyed for centuries. Meetings in Panglong, Shan state were held 75 years ago where leaders of ethnic groups (Kachin, Chin, Shan) and General Aung San came together and laid the groundwork for a united independent Myanmar. They signed the agreement on the principles of self-determination, equality, and freedom.

But sadly these principles were never implemented fully. Instead General Aung San along with other political leaders was assassinated. Then there was a period of disunity of the newly Independent Myanmar under U Nu and then in 1962 General Ne Win staged a coup and the people of Myanmar’s dreams of freedom have been ignored ever since.

Successive military dictatorships and authoritarian regimes have profited from crushing our dreams, and robbing us of our rights. But history has spoken loud and clear; the people of Myanmar do not want dictatorship and authoritarianism. 75 years of struggle for self-determination, equality and freedom have now led to the spring revolution. It was in 2020 after years of struggle for freedom and democracy that people of Myanmar went to the polls. They spoke loud and clear that all they want was to elect their own government to lead them.

But the ruthless military generals tried to usurp power with fabricated charges of electoral fraud. They created a fake narrative of a list of 10.4 million fake voters without evidence. The people and judiciary would not accept their lies. Through these lies they have lost what shred of respect and trust the people of Myanmar held for the military. As a result, all over the country of Myanmar, people rejected the military coup and protested peacefully and non-violently. These peaceful protests were brutally repressed by the junta who have now killed over 1,500 civilians and displaced ten of thousands of people across Myanmar in their effort to cling to power. They exacerbated the Covid-19 crisis, a great humanitarian catastrophe and they are responsible for the armed conflict which now plagues the country, and they have undone the economic and political advances of the last decade. The people of Myanmar have had enough and they will not bear the junta anymore. All they want is self-determination and a federal democracy which guarantees rights and freedom to all peoples of Myanmar regardless of race, religion, culture, ethnicity or background.

The people of Myanmar have made a clear road-map to peace and democracy:

1. To eradicate all vestiges of the generals’ authoritarianism and dictatorship;
   
2. To write a permanent constitution of Myanmar based on federal democratic principles, self-determination, equality and which promotes and protects the rights of all the people of Myanmar;
   
3. To build a glorious federal democratic Union of Myanmar, where union means a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-faith union. In fact, the greatest strength Myanmar has is our unity in diversity; unity among diverse cultures, unity among diverse ethnicities, and unity among diverse religions. It is like a beautiful and wondrous garden where all types of flowers blossoming together and expressing the beauty of each one of it. It is a unique way of expressing the beauty of Myanmar.

Therefore, as this commorates Union day, the 75^th anniversary of the signing of the Panglong agreement, let us remember that the last 75 years have proven that dictatorship and authoritarianism are the enemies of the Panglong Agreement principles. The last 75 years have been filled with pain, suffering, death and destruction and now we look to the future of self-determination, equality, freedom and federal democracy and fulfillment of the Panglong Agreement principles and a peaceful prosperous Democratic Federal Union.

Sincerely,

H.E. Dr. Sasa
Union Minister of Ministry of International Cooperation
Spoke Person of Nation Unity Government
Former Special Envoy to United Nations