It is the fundamental duty of each citizen to uphold peace and the rule of law, while it is the responsibility of the Union Government to ensure national stability and communal peace, and expand the rule of law. The administrative mechanism focuses on the rule of law, while all levels of administrative organizations lead efforts for communal peace.
The administrative sector assumes the responsibility for municipal affairs and shoulders the four duties of expanding the rule of law, working for communal peace and regional development, and taking on tasks that will benefit to the public. We believe this is a noble pursuit that respects the socio-economic situation of the people.
But to properly implement these endeavors, the people need to have faith, be loyal towards the nation, and respect existing laws. We would like to highlight here that the role of officials in a community is crucial when it comes to ensuring peace and rule of law.
The people assuming accountability for the municipality also need to be loyal to the nation, work within the boundaries of the law, and be inspiring role models. It is the responsibility of local residents to ensure municipal affairs — such as electing local administrators — are conducted in an orderly fashion.
The Union Government has delegated some authority to local administrators, in addition to salaries and stipends. It follows that they are expected to consider the long-term benefits to the people and their municipality, while working in line with existing laws and guidelines. The holders of communal responsibility as well as the general public are citizens of the nation, and thus, are required to adhere to the legal boundaries set by our Constitution.
Handling the affairs of the community is a basic fundamental need and was once the responsibility of the Ministry of Home Affairs, but, in keeping with the people’s wishes, the task has been transferred to the more suitable Ministry of the Office of the Union Government. This was done with the hope that necessary reforms would take place that cater to local needs and accelerate regional development.
In recent times, Rakhine State has been subject to numerous disturbances that threaten the rule of law and communal peace. These include landmine explosions, gun attacks that have claimed the lives of innocent citizens, kidnappings by armed organizations, and the affairs of internally displaced persons, which the government is monitoring closely. At such a time, the resignation of administrators in MraukU Township is not only contradictory to established rules and regulations, it reflects a disregard of their municipality’s well-being.
In our opinion, citizens as well as administrators are bound by the laws and the Constitution of the nation. Those who violate the laws must be willing to face scrutiny and action. Communal peace and rule of law are interlinked with the affairs of the local people and the community at large. We must coexist peacefully, within the bounds of the law, to spread peace in our society._GNLM
