By Swan Pyae
Now is very important for sovereignty and Union issue and the ethnicity issue of the country. Unscrupulous persons are making attempts to plot the country with their partners for weakness in all aspects. The government believes internal strengths. So, the government is building the internal strengths with utmost efforts. At present, the government is striving for ensuring unity of the ethnic people with fraternity not to disintegrate the Union amid attempts of powerful foreign countries and internal axe-handles. Implementing such an aim, the government arranged the approved People’s Military Service Law to come into force.
With consideration
This law has been approved since 1959. It was amended in 2010, and it came into force recently. But, the law was not implemented due to unnecessary time. Currently, the law is necessary for the country for coming into force. The issuance of the order to the law to come into force is necessary for all. Everybody needs to note it so. A two-year term mentioned in the law is a part of the life. They should not consider it as the whole life. In fact, today’s soldiers are serving the military services for 24 hours as it is a nature of the regular army.
Some Tatmadaw members are serving the duties in the frontline for years. So, people need to consider the life of those Tatmadaw members serving for 20, 30 and 40 years term in the Tatmadaw. They have to hold the empathy over the Tatmadaw members who are serving the military duties for us to peacefully live in, learn education and work for life. I dare to say so that those who will serve the duties under the People’s Military Services Law will not face tiredness and exhaustion less than those permanent Tatmadaw members.
Compare restrictions for military services with forced recruitments
People have to serve the military services under many restrictions and limits of age for military service, occupation, marital status, education, health conditions and so on. Even everybody cannot have the chance to serve the military services. Although all soldiers are males, all males will not have chance to be soldiers. Only then, will qualified males have to be soldiers. We have offspring as well as soldier friends. All soldiers may not serve duties in frontline. All soldiers at frontlines may not face clashes. Those soldiers facing clashes may not encounter danger of life.
I accept that all citizens have to follow that law whether they love nationality or a good citizen. They don’t need to think much. I would like to advise them to read and observe information shared by Myanma Radio and Television, Myawady TV and newspapers on a daily basis. Despite enactment of a law, it cannot be implemented immediately. Only when bylaw, rules and regulations have been systematically drawn will such a law be implemented. Now is not to forcibly recruit the people.
Individuals may compare the situation in the areas of EAOs who forcibly recruit the under adults as well as adults in quota for households. Nobody can criticize it. Those EAOs are doing things for their ethnics, their regions and their warlords. But, residents are forcibly recruited without laws and with least salaries and entitlements.
Hindrances to all under comparison with the past
Myanmar’s vision is holding the Our Three Main National Causes. Except Iran and Israel engaging with fighting, it can be observed that the international community exercising the national military service system do not have internal conflicts and external invasion, and they are peaceful. Such a point indicates that the national military services law is not directly concerned with internal conflicts and external invasion. Although Union issue, national cause and ethnic issue are being implemented under the spirit of Myanmar, it can be seen that Myanmar people at home and abroad are in fear of serving the military service and holding the arms like dying.
EAO at home understand that they will miss the chance to deploy Myanmar youths who will have military techniques in the future. Especially, they are in fear of enabling Myanmar people to have military techniques. I can understand the nature of some wise persons for the prospects of physical and mental strengths of Myanmar at a time when they were united in the first, second, third and fourth Myanmar empires.
I mean that the wise persons emphasized the talks between US and Thai Foreign Ministers after the Myanmar has issued the order on enactment of the People’s Military Services Law. It is significant that British army did not allow Myanmar for serving military service except some ethnic people to hold even a knife as an arm in the colonial era. As such, attempts are being made to seriously hinder to effectiveness of the People’s Military Services Law.
Some persons wish to early serve military duties with benefits
There a lot of benefits for those who serve the People’s Military Services. Dutifully serving the duties as a responsible citizen is a benefit. It is sure that they will comprehensively understand the policies of the Tatmadaw and empathize with life of Tatmadaw members. They will clearly know natures of the human and the society. In addition to leadership, teamwork cooperation, management and disciplinary measures are necessary personality of the youths.
They will understand the trend of the Tatmadaw via empathy. If they understand value of the Tatmadaw and individual Tatmadaw members as well as the essential position of the Tatmadaw in a country, the military-civilian relations will have lesser frictions. If so, it can be surely said that the Tatmadaw and the people will be inseparable in coming decade. Moreover, different confidence, prestige and job opportunities may happen between military-served persons and non-military-served persons in the society. But, despite many advantages on one hand, it is necessary to empathize with the people with rising concerns.
Concerns of the people are actually based on misinformation. They have to analyze the action of opportunists in utilizing the weakness of the people to review whether these are misinformation or not. It is noticeable that individuals should be worried about youths leading to the jungle. At present, such a situation is an expression for attitude of unconcern. The calculation can be based on 13 million eligible persons for the law. Possibility for serving the military services will be two persons for one ward as well as one person for 200 eligible persons per year. If so, there will be 60,000 persons per year to serve the military service. Depending on our age limit, males at an age of 33, 34 and 35 years old and females at 25, 26 and 27 years old must serve the military duties in a long run. So, the law will be effective in terms of any governments.
Some persons oppose the Tatmadaw and the State due to misinformation, lack of thorough understanding, fear of losing life or facing hardships or lesser patriotism, but it can be seen that the mass rallies support the People’s Military Services Law in some areas of the nation. Some people will be willing to serve the military duties with the patriotic spirit.
Some people wish to sacrifice. Some people wish to take the armed military training for defending themselves. Some persons express their anticipations that they have respect for the law of the State and wish to dutifully serve the military service for two years or three years.
Need to review misinformation and rumours
Unscrupulous persons intimidate the people with the use of misinformation about recruiting porters. You should think like this. Today is not a time of recruiting porters. If somebody does not report to the authorities for summoning based on the ward/village statistics, they will face action under the law. So, anyone will not recruit porters without facing busy work. Otherwise, the guest list will be checked at night for security of the community. If one is arrested at night, they will be thieves, gangsters, robbers, pick-pockets or saboteurs, not good citizens.
In fact, such an aim may purpose for spreading misinformation to delay the process of checking guest lists and to threaten the people. It is just an example in the nature of law. Authorities will organize the people under the organizational and educative ways based on patriotic spirit and national spirit. With regard to departure for abroad, there is no restrictions and people are allowed under verification for systematic departure for abroad. But, it is necessary to notice that some cases of corruption may occur in implementing the ways of military services in accord with the enacted law. If so, severe action will be taken against those offenders.
Whatever it may be, everybody needs to emphasize the national cause globally. It can be seen that past and present global issues are concerned with present Myanmar issues. Proxy plays, traps, racism, localism and militants are in vogue across the world, and all countries including Myanmar are facing such impacts. Although everything are based on various reasons, it is necessary to take lessons from causes and effects in order to serve the duties as much as possible.
As people live in this country and they are citizens of this country, they have to follow this law. In so doing, only when they do everything with genuine goodwill and farsightedness in unison can they all enjoy fruitful results. As such, I would like to urge all to actively participate in serving the military services.
That is why individuals need to have a concept that people’s military services means protecting themselves, their families, their societies and their country so as to prevent wars as well as forge peace of the country. If they have such a concept for ensuring betterment of their new generations via their goodwill and self-security, they will have a correct answer for what they should do.
Translated.
