True patriotism

“It is very important for everyone of the nation regardless of the place where he lives to have strong Union Spirit.

Only Union Spirit is the true patriotism all the nationalities will have to safeguard”.
National Day is worth keeping in mind because it is the day on which the people were well inculcated with a sense of patriotic spirit.

In Myanmar, National Day is held on a grand scale on the 10th Waning of Tazaungmone every year, and it is in its 90th anniversary this year. This year, National Day will be celebrated under the leadership of the government in line with the four objectives.

-           to keep Union Spirit flourishing and uplift national prestige and integrity
-           to promote national education
-           to ensure perpetuation of independence and sovereignty of the State
-           to successfully complete State’s seven-step Road Map

National Day was conceived in the struggles to fight the colonial education system. The education system the British laid down for Myanmar, that lost independence in 1885, was particularly designed to contribute towards the colonial administrative mechanism.

British colonialists planned to enact University Act on 28 August 1920. The bill manifests many points designed to keep Myanmar people out of the reach of high school education including:

-           in Myanmar, there would be one and only university, under which there shall be only one college,
-           those wishing to pursue tertiary education shall be boarding students.

Therefore, the people were all in protest against the bill. In spite of strong protest, the British government adopted and enacted University Act in December 1920.

Thereafter, Yangon College and Judson College decided to protest against the act. It was very brave of university students to launch their movement to protest at the colonial education on the 10th Waning of Tazaungmone 1282 Myanmar Era (5 December 1920). The students’ uprising was followed by public revolts over the British government in the political and economic spheres across the nation. Then, there emerged National College in Bahan Township, Yangon, along with national schools all over the country, thus rekindling the national spirit of Myanmar people and national cohesion.

The ninth conference of GCBA held in Mandalay on 24 October 1921 reached an agreement to designate the 10th Waning of Tazaungmone 1282 Myanmar Era (5 December 1920) as National Day. The special conference held at Jubilee Hall in Yangon on 17 June 1922 passed the resolution. Thenceforwards, National Day has been celebrated in Myanmar every year. After all, the British government had no other choice but to designate the 10th Waning of Tazaungmone as National Day and public holiday.

The day is a landmark in the history of Myanmar because on that day, the students’ uprising was launched to revive the people’s sense of independence struggles to throw off the yoke of the colonial rule.

So, the people should bear in mind that it took over 100 years and cost a large number of lives. In addition, the people should safeguard collectively the sovereignty of the State with correct national awareness and without sectarianism and personality cult in the interest of the nation. And the people have to equip themselves with a strong sense of nationalistic fervour to be able to decide the future of the nation. National brethren are to remain united in coping with threats posed by internal and external elements to paralyze the motherland. The people are also to keep their sense of patriotic spirit flourishing, taking lessons from painful memories of facing untold miseries that came as a serious blow to cultural heritage and national character.

Have a look at the conditions of the nation. The nation is being shaped into a stable, peaceful and developed one. National politics is safeguard, putting Our Three Main National Causes in the forefront. Now, the 30-year plan is ongoing to promote the national education standard, as part of the drive for all-round development in various sectors. With goodwill and vision, the government is nurturing the youth into human resources with a strong sense of patriotic spirit.

Myanmar is going to celebrate the 90th anniversary National Day on which nationalistic vigor was conceived to launch struggles with patriotism to regain independence. The people are to keep shouldering national duties with patriotic spirit and strong national awareness that has been preserved and promoted throughout the Myanmar history.

Therefore, I would like to exhort all those nationals who love Myanmar to work in harness for non-disintegration of the Union, which was established with patriotic spirit, non-disintegration of national solidarity, and perpetuation of sovereignty.

Translation: MS