National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi has urged her victorious candidates to remain focused on their mandate: to serve the people of Burma.

On 5 December, Suu Kyi met with the triumphant NLD candidates of the November election in Naypyidaw, but the party leader warned her members against referring to themselves as “winners”.

“She told us not to refer to ourselves as ‘election winners’, but rather as ‘elected candidates’. She told us that the people had bestowed their trust in the NLD, and chosen us with confidence that we would stand by our motto: ‘Now is the time for change’, so we should try to implement the change they are hoping for,” said Wine Chit Aung, who was elected to the Mandalay regional parliament in Taungtha constituency.

“That’s what she mostly stressed to us – that our main task is to serve the people’s interest,” he added.

Thant Wai Kyaw, an NLD member elected in the Sagaing regional parliament for Kale constituency, said the party leader reiterated their commitment to a just government.

“A memorable quote from [Suu Kyi] for me was when she said that some people are concerned about the NLD’s election win – but that they should not be as we will ensure equality in accordance with the law – indiscriminately to both the people that voted for us and the people that didn’t,” Thant Wai Kyaw said.

Nilar Lwin, a fellow NLD member told DVB: “She reminded us that we should permanently focus on serving the people’s interests over our own.”

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On Saturday, NLD co-founder Tin Oo also met with the successful election candidates from Mandalay, Sagaing and Magwe divisions, and Karenni, Chin, Shan and Kachin States at the May Hall in Naypyidaw.

After a landslide triumph in the 8 November general election, Suu Kyi’s NLD will have to wait until 1 April to commence governing. In the meantime, the chairperson has been holding meetings with top members of the ruling-Union and Solidarity Development Party, including ex-military strongman Than Shwe, discussing national reconciliation and the transfer of power that will take place in the New Year.

Read more about the 2015 election here.