Acting President: 2023 Will Mark Turning Point for Myanmar’s Revolution

By The Irrawaddy 2 January 2023

Acting President Duwa Lashi La of Myanmar’s civilian National Unity Government (NUG) said in his new year’s speech that 2023 will mark the turning point in the war against military rule and called for continuous revolution.

“When we are fighting against the brutalities of the terrorist military regime, resilience is really important. The regime is waiting for the time when the people and the revolutionary forces are exhausted, so all of us must continue to work hard and speed up the revolution,” Duwa Lashi La said in his state of the union address.

He said the regime was crippled militarily, economically, socially and diplomatically because of people’s united opposition to dictatorship and their sacrifices and efforts.

Duwa Lashi La said the regime was internationally isolated while the NUG and resistance forces had gained advantages.

The ethnic Kachin leader called for revolutionary unity during an important time and cohesive cooperation to root out the dictatorship and establish a federal democracy for all ethnicities.

“The key to the success of the revolution depends on the unity of the resistance forces and people,” he said.

Duwa Lashi La repeated calls to ignore the regime’s “sham” election this year, calling it a trap and deception to alleviate the myriad crises facing the junta.

“The revolution will succeed as it is a battle that all ethnic forces are fighting in unison,” Duwa Lashi La said.

The NUG’s defense minister U Yee Mon in his new year speech said an offensive strategy was ready to hammer the junta this year.

He said the NUG would step up the arming of resistance groups.

“The NUG and allied groups are determined to achieve decisive results for the revolution this year and we have drawn up a one-year plan to implement it,” U Yee Mon said.

Myanmar’s ethnic armed groups and revolutionary forces have also vowed to uproot the dictatorship.

A total of 22 groups, including the National Unity Consultative Council, NUG, All Burma Students’ Democratic Front, General Strike Committees, 88 Generation Peace and Open Society and ethnic groups, in a new year’s statement vowed, “to work tirelessly and in unison until the military dictatorship has been eradicated and the people’s revolution has triumphed”.