AFP, Naypyitaw :Myanmar’s military chief has pledged to join hands with a new civilian government that takes over the Southeast Asian country next week, after 54 years of rule by the junta or its proxy.Senior General Min Aung Hlaing says the armed forces will work to bring about prosperity for the nation.He spoke today during the annual Armed Forces Day parade in the capital of Naypyitaw.Myanmar’s military ran the country directly or indirectly for five decades before handing over to a quasi-civilian government in 2011.Last year’s elections propelled Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy into power, although the military remains a powerful political force.Suu Kyi’s aide, President-elect Htin Kyaw, will take office next Friday.Senior General Min Aung Hlaing made the remarks at an annual display of military might by Myanmar’s armed forces, a body that long crushed democratic aspirations with an iron fist but has since stewarded the country through a remarkable transition.”I would solemnly impart the fact that the Tatmadaw (army) will cooperate to bring about the prosperity of the Union and its citizens,” he said during a speech to troops at the annual Armed Forces Day parade in the capital Naypyidaw.”The two main obstacles to democratisation are a failure to abide by the rule of law and regulations and the presence of armed insurgencies. These could lead to chaotic democracy,” he added.”Only if these two obstacles are properly tackled and overcome will there be advancement on the path to democracy.”Myanmar has undergone a stunning political transformation since 2011, blossoming from isolation under successive juntas to become an increasingly vibrant nation. Its growing political openness was crowned by a historic November election that saw Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy storm to victory.After a lengthy transition her government will take over from the outgoing army-backed administration on Wednesday, ending more than five decades of direct and indirect military rule.Suu Kyi, who is banned by a military-era constitution from becoming president, will serve as foreign minister but has vowed to rule through her proxy president Htin Kyaw.
