RCSS Chairman General Yawd Serk discusses the challenges of federalism and the NCA in Shan State: Interview

Mizzima

In a Mizzima Exclusive interview conducted on 7 February in Loi Tai Leng, the headquarters of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), U Sein Win, Managing Editor of Mizzima, sat down with General Yawd Serk, Chairman of the RCSS to discuss developments in Shan State.

Question: (U Sein Win) Mingalabar, Mr. Chairman. Since this year marks the 79th Shan State National Day, what key message would you like to convey to the people of Shan State on this special occasion?

Answer (General Yawd Serk): The Panglong Agreement has now reached its 79th anniversary – a truly significant span of time. It remains profoundly important to every ethnic group and every citizen. Without the Panglong Agreement, this Union would never have come into existence.

The fact that we have been unable to fulfill the promises contained within the Panglong Agreement is the very reason why the country hasn’t progressed – this is a fact that can be proven by current reality. Because the Panglong Agreement serves as both evidence and a historical milestone, you cannot bypass it if you intend to reform the country.

Therefore, to reform the nation, it is essential to build trust. Only when we can build trust, we will be able to move forward with national reforms. Looking back at the past, it was our inability to build trust that led to the failure of all our negotiations.

Question: I have learnt through news reports that the Shan State Federal Affairs Steering Team was recently formed. Can we say that forming this steering team is a step toward gathering strength within Shan State to implement those Panglong promises you mentioned earlier?

Answer: If we look back at Shan State’s history, our way of life was actually already a form of federalism. Looking at the era of the Saophas (Sawbwas), they governed their own respective domains and cooperated among themselves. If you examine that, it was a type of federal system. Later, when we joined with mainland Burma and signed the Panglong Agreement to enter the Union, the ‘Federalist Shan State’ vanished. The 1947 Constitution was lost, and when the 1974 Socialist Constitution emerged, the situation in Myanmar changed completely.

Trust between different ethnic groups also disappeared. Because of this, we reviewed all these historical facts and invited various organizations and ethnic groups to begin creating a political corridor for the public. If you look at the political parties, they are formed under the 2008 Constitution; therefore, everything they say and all their policies seem confined within the framework of that 2008 Constitution.

If you look at the revolutionary organizations, they each hold onto their own specific policies, so no one is in a position to truly represent and solve the issues for the whole of Shan State. Consequently, the public has no place to express their desires or make their voices heard. Their voices are lost amidst the wars (conflicts). New generations of youth are also emerging, but they don’t know which organization to support or follow.

That is why we considered a framework that can represent the public, and organized this Federal Affairs Steering Team. Furthermore, we must work to provide federal education to the people. We need to teach what federalism is and how we should live and practice it – even incorporating these lessons into schools. That is why this team was born, as stated in our announcement on the 6th.

Question: Even the Burmese military has started using the term ‘Federal’ now. It’s been talked about among the Burmese public and other ethnic groups for a long time. In political circles, people say Shan State’s federal affairs are extremely delicate. What is your view on how to handle the political problems of Shan State’s federalism?

Answer: Yes, it is true that Shan State’s federalism is very delicate and sensitive. However, federalism comes in many forms. We need to think about which model we will adopt – what the federal framework should look like for the Union, and what the federal framework should look like specifically for Shan State.

Question: Related to that, I noticed in your message today you mentioned a ‘Federal Army.’ Could you tell us more about your vision for jointly establishing a Federal Army?

Answer: This is a very broad subject. Here, I am merely presenting a conceptual idea. To actually implement it, various groups need to come together, discuss it, and establish a set of principles and policies.”

Question: Could we describe you as a soldier with great political calculation?

Answer:”No, you can’t. I am just a person who thinks according to nature – how things naturally arise and pass away. I wouldn’t call myself a soldier who has great political calculation.

Question: Regarding our current revolution and the barriers to federalism – the military junta is the main obstacle. What should the revolutionary community do to unite? How do you see the best way forward?

Answer: Every group needs to study the nature of the process. They need to accept the reality of what is happening. If you only have 100 Kyats but you go around claiming you have 10,000 or 100,000 to do business, who is going to trust you?

Question: Regarding the NCA (Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement), the RCSS has held onto it until now, maintaining that political problems must be solved through political means. In the current political landscape, can we say the NCA is still ‘alive’ for the self-determination of the Shan people? Is there still an opportunity there?”

Answer: The most important reason our organization holds onto the NCA is that it didn’t come about easily. It took two years of negotiations to emerge. Furthermore, having countries like China, Thailand, Europe, the UN, India, and Japan as witnesses adds to the prestige and integrity of the NCA.

The fact that the NCA cannot move forward is related to the leaders. To sign the NCA, we first had to sign preliminary commitments. But because those promises were not followed, the signing became ineffective. The military seizing power from the NLD (National League for Democracy) government was their own separate issue, but doing so impacted the NCA and damaged the entire peace process.

They have been seizing power from one another. However, they had a responsibility to ensure that the political dialogue table was not destroyed. It had to be maintained. If there had been faith in the NCA and if promises had been kept, this coup would not have happened. There are laws in place, and the NCA is a political matter. In reality, the current crisis is what is harming the NCA.”

Question: Is there a possibility for a unified platform where groups that signed the NCA, groups like the 7 Alliance, and those that are not part of either can all meet and discuss?

Answer: That point is still impossible to predict.

Question :This is my third time attending an RCSS event. From my observations, I see a lot of young people. Does the RCSS have a specific policy for nurturing and developing the youth and the next generation? What is that like?

Answer: Yes, we have a policy. We have been nurturing and supporting the youth from the very beginning. If we didn’t have such a policy, why would we – as a revolutionary organization – spend so much money opening and maintaining schools? Even after they graduate, we continue to encourage and support them until they find employment.

Question: As a leader, are you satisfied with the current state of development in Loi Tai Leng and Shan State as a whole?

Answer: In truth, complete satisfaction is hard to come by. However, I manage my own mindset. I find fulfillment in the act of doing – in the fact that I am providing and working for the people. I take joy in the knowledge that ‘I am serving’ and ‘I am contributing.’

Question: Shan State is a region rich in vacant, fallow, and virgin lands, as well as natural resources. What is the current situation regarding the right to manage these resources and the ability to export agricultural products to foreign markets?

Answer: Right now, farming in Shan State is still stuck in traditional methods. People plant in their old plots or clear a bit of new land to farm. They haven’t reached the stage of producing enough to put products on the market systematically; it’s still just traditional subsistence farming. To sell agricultural products, you first need to be able to produce them as a viable ‘output.’

Actually, improving the lives of the public and securing market access for them is the responsibility of governments. Governments are supposed to handle this. However, those who claim to be our ‘governments’ haven’t done it. Throughout successive governments, we haven’t seen them truly working for the benefit of the people.

Question: What would you say are the challenges for the RCSS (Restoration Council of Shan State) currently? What specific points stand out?

Answer: There are three main organizational challenges. First, the healing and reform of the country’s affairs is a critically important challenge. As I mentioned before, achieving political reform remains a major hurdle to this day.

Second, many armed revolutionary organizations have emerged. In the past, there have been instances of these groups fighting amongst one another. If we cannot communicate and negotiate effectively, this will become another massive challenge.

The third challenge is that the revolution has lasted for a very long time – over 60 years now. Our people have lived through the scourge of war for so long that they are in extreme poverty. This is a real challenge. If we were to rely entirely on the public for everything in this revolution today, it would be an incredibly difficult situation. This, too, is a significant challenge.

Question: Looking back from your childhood to your current position as a leader, did you ever expect that the journey would be this difficult?

Answer: I never imagined it. I joined the ‌army when I was 17. From then until now, I’ve reached this position. When I first joined, I only planned to serve for four years – I just wanted to see what being a soldier was like. While serving, I received military training, studied, met with the public, and learned political ideologies. From those experiences, I began to understand politics.

As I learned more, my responsibilities grew step by step. I fulfilled every duty given to me. While working, I always thought, ‘We are about to get Shan State back soon; we are about to win.’ I truly believed that. But as I thought that, time just kept passing by.

Question:”What message would you like to give to the people of Shan State – to all the diverse ethnic groups residing there?”

I have three messages.

First, just as it is important to know how to live and survive, it is equally important to pursue as much knowledge as possible.

Second, the situation is changing very rapidly. Because the people of Shan State have to live among many different armed organizations, you need to know how to speak, how to move, and how to carry yourselves – and you must possess courage. You must have knowledge and wisdom. You need to be able to analyze and distinguish between what is good and what is bad. Then, you must be able to act accordingly.

Finally, in this era of IT (Information Technology), if you know how to use it properly, there are many benefits for you. But if you do not, it can bring a great deal of danger. Now, the era of AI is also emerging. AI is reaching a point where it can do almost anything. In this situation, if you do not use it systematically, it is like inviting a major problem.

If you lack the wisdom to distinguish between good and bad, then when you look at the news, you won’t be able to tell what is real and what is fake. If you mistake the fake for the truth, or the truth for a fake, that becomes a serious problem.