Message sent by President U Win Myint on the Commemoration of the 98th Anniversary of National Victory Day

2^nd December 2018

Dear Fellow Citizens of Myanmar,

On this auspicious occasion of the 98th Anniversary of National Victory Day of the Government of the Republic of Myanmar which falls on the 10th Waning Day of Tazaungmone, ME 1380 (December 2), I wish you all “good health and all the best.”

Looking back the history of the emergence of our National Victory Day celebration, it originated from the protest against the restrictions of the Rangoon University Act on the right of Myanmar citizens to pursue university education by a group of patriotic Myanmar university students on the 10th Waning Day of Tazaungmone, ME 1282 (5 December 1920).

That protest aroused the national spirit of the students from all over Myanmar and it quickly spread throughout the country. Thus, that particular incident was not only concerned with university education but it also provoked strong patriotism against the unjust British colonialist rules. That national spirit grew. considerably and became the sparks of revolution which finally led to gaining the Independence.

The ninth GCBA meeting held in Mandalay in 1921 designated the 10th Waning Day of Tazaaungmone, ME 1282, as the National Victory Day as it was the day when the university students organized the strike and achieved victory with the national spirit. Starting from that time, and even after the independence, Myanmar people have been celebrating the National Victory Day throughout the country in grand manner annually to uplift the national spirit of the people and to commemorate the great achievement in striving for the independence.

Now is the time Myanmar is convening the Union Peace Conference or the 21stCentury Panglong Conference striving for the ultimate peace in the entire nation with the united effort of all nationals, and the success of which could pave the way to the genuine federal democratic rights for all nationals.

As Myanmar gained independence with the effort of the nationals and their strong national spirits, the people of Myanmar today can stand proudly as the citizens of the sovereign nation with great dignity. Due to the varied political beliefs held by different nationals and prejudices against each other, there have been conflicts among them, and consequently our country has been lagged behind.

Taking the lesson from the past all nationals must make every endeavor with firm determination and united effort to build a genuinely peaceful federal democratic nation and hand over the esteemed heritage to our young generation. This is the duty of all the nationals that we all must fulfill with the strong national spirit. We have put great endeavor with complete unity to gain the country’s Independence. In the same way, we all need to exert all our effort to build a genuine federal democratic nation. In order to do so, we must bear in mind the following objectives:

– Perpetuation and strengthening of Nationalism Uplifting the Union spirit

– Working together for the Union Peace

– Promoting all-round development of all national races

– Building a federal democratic nation

In conclusion, I would like to strongly urge all our fellow citizens to bear in mind these objectives when working hand in hand for the emergence of a federal democratic nation.

Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar