The speech of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) presented at the opening ceremony of the second conference of the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC)

Announcement : 11/ABFSU/2024

Date : April 14, 2024

Hello. I am a member of the Central Organizing Committee (COC) of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU). First of all, I would like to say that we are honoured to have the opportunity to speak at the People's Assembly today. ABFSU is one of the most active organizations of the General Strike Committee (GSC), which is fighting against the Burmese military dictatorship. Therefore, we would like to say that what we present here today is also the voice of the GSC.

The Spring Revolution, initiated in February 2021, continues to gather momentum even after three years, underscoring its ongoing significance. We must never forget that the revolution's momentum today is only achieved by the sacrifices of tens of thousands of martyrs throughout the ages. I would also like to say here that ABFSU pays its utmost respect to all the martyrs who lost their lives in the people's democratic revolution of all ages.

Today, the whole Burmese population is suffering from poverty. The masses have to deal with food crises, such as ballooning living costs, inflation, and low wages, on a daily basis. It is no longer fictitious, but a grim reality is that many people share the sentiment of “It’s better to die today since there is no food for tomorrow.” The economic crisis is truly deadly. The people not only face the deadly economic crisis. Every second, they lived in terror as their homes and villages burned whenever the fascist army attacked and dropped bombs on their homes. In the cities, people have to live under constant surveillance and constant fear of unlawful arrest, torture, and forced disappearances by military soldiers.

Now, the people face a new crisis, which is the forced military conscription law. The military junta now comes knocking on everyone’s doors to enslave our youths to fight for their interests. To protect their position, power, and wealth, our children will be forced to die on their behalf. This unlawful military conscription law is very stressful for the public. We live with the concern of when the terrorist army will come for us. The community is also stressed that their son, daughter, and grandson's names will be forced to fight for the Burmese military. This unlawful military conscription law is a big issue in our daily talks, even in the tea shops, the markets, and daily conservations.

It is evident that the entire public is against this unlawful military conscription law. Therefore, they joined the armed struggle. They are going to the liberated areas and taking responsibility for the revolution. Some of them have gone abroad to avoid conscription and are responding against the unlawful military conscription law in the way they can. We have been hearing the sad news of multiple young people and an elderly woman committing suicide after being forcefully conscripted. Giving up their own life is the highest and most extreme act of protest that an individual can do to resist. Countless people have given their lives to resist this unlawful conscription law. The masses have fiercely resisted the conscription law in all the available methods.

It is our revolutionary duty to agitate these individual struggles into political struggles. We must continue with effective political struggles and build mass movements to combat this unlawful conscription law. Revolutionary forces must act seriously and efficaciously in response to this unlawful conscription law, which has been bothering the people. It is an urgent concern that requires an immediate and effective political response from the revolutionary forces as the military continues to terrorize the people using this conscription law. ABFSU would also like to sincerely call upon all fellow revolutionary forces attending this Peoples’ Assembly to firmly organize against the unlawful conscription law and build a consolidated movement.

The crises the people face, as we have stated before, are immense, and undoubtedly, this is one of the worst crises the people of Burma face in history. Revolution is our only way out of this crisis. The only way to liberation from this abyss is through the complete uprooting of the three Military: Military Dictatorship, Military Bureaucracy, and Military Junta. It is only through the unbroken unity of the revolutionary forces that we will uproot the military dictatorship. A united front built through united policies and united actions is essential. The three-brotherhood alliance is a clear example of how the united front can be effective on our way to revolution. The victories and successes in the Northern Shan state and the Arakan regions are a testament to the vital role a united front plays in the revolution. A national united front across all sectors is still yet to be built. It is essential that we prioritize and build a national united front.

Internal conflicts between revolutionary forces are non-antagonistic, and the military junta is our one true common enemy. As such, whoever opposes this common enemy could be our allies. The internal contradictions and disagreements amongst allies must be handled with political maturity, negotiations, and communication. We must be able to unite issue by issue. We must work together where we have commonalities. ABFSU urges the attendees to contribute to the formation of the Nationwide United Front.

In summary, the masses face an immense crisis. The direst crisis the masses face today is the forced military conscription law and the blatant dragooning of people as forced military laborers. ABFSU strongly urges our revolutionary allies to continue to unite and collectively wage the revolution through effective political actions and building a mass movement to counter the forced military conscription law. ABFSU stands ready to wage the struggle together with our allies. We must firmly build a united front to isolate the fascist junta and its reactionaries who stand to profit from the suffering of the Myanmar people.

The masses face a crisis on top of a crisis akin to hellfire, and it is without a doubt that the progenitor of this hellfire-like crisis is none other than the Military Junta. The only way out of this hell is by uprooting the Fascist Military: Military Dictatorship, Military Junta, and Military Bureaucracy. The only way to uproot the Military dictatorship is through a genuine nationwide united front guided by revolutionary politics. We conclude this opening statement with a strong call for all the revolutionary forces across all sectors and all regions to urgently build this type of United Front. 

“May our enemies tremble in fear!”

“Glory and joy to the masses!”

Central Organizing Committee 

All Burma Federation of Student Unions