Myanmar president hails achievements of government's 5-year term

Myanmar's president said on Thursday that the outgoing government has made many achievements during its past five years' term in office, covering development in political, economic, communication and educational spheres.

As presented by President U Thein Sein at the last session of the current term of the parliament, despite having some difficulties and challenges, the democratic transition was able to be implemented phase by phase in a calm and peaceful manner.

The government has successfully undertook political, economic and administrative reforms, while boosting private sector development, the president said.

U Thein Sein reiterated the promise he made before the general election last November to carry out systematic power transfer in accordance with existing laws and bylaws.

No matter which party takes office, the government is to continue to strive for national development, he said, adding that the outgoing government will cooperate with the incoming government towards this end.

Accordingly, the outgoing parliament representatives of the current term will also cooperate with the new representatives to maintain political stability and national development, he said.

During the current term, people-centered development projects have been implemented starting 2011-12 fiscal year, said the president.

Focusing on market-oriented economic development, the government laid down and carried out seven prioritized projects covering electricity, drinking water, agriculture, livestock and breeding, job creation, tourism, monetary policy as well as trade and investment.

As communication can keep rural people informed of economic and weather conditions, it plays a vital role in narrowing the knowledge gap between urban and rural citizens. Low-priced SIM cards are now available and the tele-density reached 65.35 percent as of August last year, up from only 2.33 percent in the fiscal year 2010-11, according to earlier local media reports.

In the educational sector, a presidential scholarship program has been introduced to encourage students to study overseas. As of last year, there were over 45,000 schools nationwide, official figures showed.