A: Primarily, during
Phase I of the election, we saw the public coming out to vote. Watching the
citizens cast their ballots was truly encouraging. As I have said before, this
is not the government’s victory; it is the people’s victory. It is a victory for
the citizens who desire democracy and peace. Now, in Phase II, we are seeing
the same thing. We can observe it together. Acting President Senior General Min
Aung Hlaing, who is currently in Yangon, personally visited the polling
stations today. During his visit, you would have seen people voting very
actively. For instance, the Senior General himself met with the public and
asked them questions. You would have witnessed him personally inquiring with
voters about the voting machines—asking if the paper slip produced matched the
button they pressed. The answer was ‘yes,’ which demonstrates the transparency
of the process. Furthermore, some people woke up as early as 4 am to cast their
votes. Once the voter lists are finalized this evening for Phase II, the results
will emerge. I believe it will be a success, just as I believe Phase III will
be a success. Looking back at history, when the Parliamentary Democracy
election was held in 1952, it was conducted in three phases and took about five
months. Each phase lasted about seven to 10 days. Back then, out of eight
million eligible voters, only 1.5 million participated, which was roughly 20
per cent. Currently, there are some discussions and even campaigns being held
in our country urging people not to vote; there is opposition. However,
regardless of what is said, establishing a democratic system must be achieved
through the electoral process. What I want to say today is that I am grateful
to all the citizens who came to vote with such interest, as well as everyone
supervising the polling stations, including security personnel and volunteers,
for ensuring the public could vote with peace of mind.
Q: Once the election is
concluded and a multiparty democratic system emerges, to what extent do you
have expectations for building international relations, including with
neighbouring countries?
A: Regarding
international relations, there are currently certain sanctions in place. These
sanctions exist because the current administration is not an elected
government. However, there are still countries we maintain relations with; we
have many friendly nations. For example, our relations with neighbouring
countries remain intact, and we engage with one another like true close
friends. Once this election is concluded, I believe international relations
will become more open and transparent as the aforementioned restrictions
diminish. I also expect that more foreign investment will flow into Myanmar.
Along with this, I foresee that those economic opportunities will open up
significantly for all our citizens.
Q: Once the election is
over, the Hluttaw will be convened, a government will be formed, and the
transfer of power to the newly emerged government will take place. Around which
month is this schedule expected to occur? Ordinarily, such handovers take place
in April. Are you able to explain the situation regarding this?
A: The Hluttaw will be
convened in March. Following that, the new government will assume its duties in
April. We will proceed according to the same standard schedules as were
followed in the past.
Q: It is known that
political parties have submitted requests and proposals regarding advance
voting to the Senior General. Regarding this matter, how will the issues be
handled further?
A: This is a matter for
the Commission (Union Election Commission), the Commission will handle it. Most
of the discussions have indeed centred around advance voting. When advance
votes are counted, all candidates are invited to observe. You have seen this
for yourselves. As far as I know, some representatives do not show up, yet they
voice complaints despite their absence. For example, take Mayangon Township,
which was completed during Phase I. You likely heard about it – the independent
candidate, Dr Khin Khin Kyawt. Her conduct was quite respectable. Although she
lost, she went to observe the counting of advance votes herself. Upon seeing
it, she noted how transparent the process was. We cannot do these things in
secret; they must be done transparently. However, I have noticed some
shortcomings. The issue is that when candidates are invited to the vote
counting, some fail to attend. They don’t show up, but they continue to make
criticisms. I am stating this based on what I have personally witnessed; I am
not speaking from a one-sided perspective. That said, there might be actual
flaws. If there are, they can be clarified with the Commission. You can speak
with the Commission. They will handle everything with full transparency.
Q: What is the
international perspective regarding this election?
A: Regarding the
international perspective, during Phase I of the election, international
observation teams visited. These teams conducted thorough observations and have
already shared their findings, releasing them transparently. To summarize their
feedback: first, they did not expect that Myanmar would be able to conduct an
election this successfully. Nor did they expect such a high voter turnout. When
they went to observe, they saw people lining up at polling stations to vote,
which surprised them. Secondly, regarding the voting machines, they studied
them personally. They described the machines as transparent and ‘tamper-proof
’, impossible to cheat. Furthermore, they openly praised the Myanmar people’s
love for democracy. For this second phase of the election, embassies based in
Myanmar have sent over 100 observation representatives. Most are concentrated
in major cities like Yangon and Mandalay, and elsewhere, such as Mawlamyine,
Taunggyi, and Sagaing. These observation groups will share their findings when
the time is appropriate. I would like to thank everyone.
#TheGlobalNewLightOfMyanmar
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