The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Despite clash, Richardson says Suu Kyi remains Myanmar’s best hope
- A Look Back at the Murder Trial of U Ko Ni
- This Week in Parliament (Jan. 22-26)
- A Year after U Ko Ni’s Assassination, Still No Answers
- Yangon’s Challenges Looking Forward
| Despite clash, Richardson says Suu Kyi remains Myanmar’s best hope Posted: 27 Jan 2018 02:51 AM PST Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remains Myanmar’s best hope for change, veteran U.S. mediator Bill Richardson said on Friday, days after he got into a fight with the Nobel laureate and quit an international panel advising her government on the Rohingya crisis. Richardson said Daw Aung San Suu Kyi – whom he described as a long-time friend – had developed a “siege mentality” in her position as Myanmar’s State Counselor, the country’s civilian leader, but added that Western governments should continue to engage with her. “The relationship with the West, with human rights groups, with the United Nations, with the international media is terrible,” he told Reuters by phone from New Mexico on Friday. “And I think Aung San Suu Kyi has brought this upon herself, the constant disparagement of the international community, which I think can be helpful to her … She seems isolated. She doesn’t travel much into the country. I think she’s developed a classic bubble.” Richardson said he resigned from the advisory board on Wednesday, during its first visit to troubled Rakhine State, saying it was conducting a “whitewash”. Suu Kyi’s office said on Thursday her government had asked Richardson to step down and accused him of pursuing “his own agenda”. Myanmar government said on Friday it did not want discuss the details of the exchange between Suu Kyi and Richardson any further. Around 688,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from Rakhine to Bangladesh in recent months to escape an army crackdown following insurgent attacks on security forces. “I think the Myanmar military is to blame a lot and the only person that can turn them around, I believe, is Aung San Suu Kyi, and she should start doing that,” said Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President Bill Clinton who has also worked as a mediator with North Korea. Richardson said he had informed the U.S. ambassador in Yangon and the State Department of his intention to resign but had not sought their guidance. Richardson said that before his trip to Myanmar, he spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who visited the country in November. “He called me and gave me a briefing on his visit and that was all,” he told Reuters in a separate television interview. A State Department spokesman said he could not immediately confirm details of Richardson’s contacts. FURIOUS ARGUMENT A statement on Thursday from the nine remaining members of the advisory board said they met this week “with open minds” and rejected Richardson’s criticism that he feared the panel would be used as “a cheerleading squad”. Richardson said Suu Kyi’s response at a Monday night dinner was “furious” when he brought up the case of two Reuters reporters, who were arrested on Dec. 12 on suspicion of violating Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act. “She was very angry with me when I raised releasing the journalists, giving them a fair trial,” he said. “She was upset when I said there should be an investigation of the mass-graves issue, that they had to increase their international support for the treatment of the Rohingyas, the terrible refugee crisis. She exploded. She was very unhappy, and it shows that she didn’t want to hear frank advice.” Her office said it would not be commenting further on the exchange. “We already published a statement and also the advisory board published a statement. The judge will decide whether the journalists committed the crime or not. It is Contempt of Court. Even in America, they wouldn’t involve themselves in a case while the case is ongoing in a court hearing,” said U Zaw Htay, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s spokesman. Reporters Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, had worked on Reuters coverage of the crisis in Rakhine. Richardson said it was important for Western governments, the United Nations and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to enter into a new dialogue “to try to help each other, not to keep fighting each other” before any thoughts of new sanctions on Myanmar. “What we don’t want is to have Aung San Suu Kyi just listen to ASEAN countries, China or Russia. They need engagement with the West. We’re all former friends. She needs to change, and perhaps the West needs to give her another chance and not impose sanctions.” Myanmar’s armed forces have been accused by Rohingya witnesses and human rights activists of carrying out killings, rapes and arson in Rakhine in a campaign senior officials in the United Nations and United States have described as ethnic cleansing. Myanmar rejects that label and has denied nearly all the allegations. Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed earlier this month to complete the voluntary repatriation of all the refugees. The remaining members of the advisory board on Wednesday toured temporary camps the government has set up for returnees. “I believe that the Myanmar government has emphasised speed instead of systems,” he said. “There’s been too much emphasis on quick results rather than assuring that safety is guaranteed.” The post Despite clash, Richardson says Suu Kyi remains Myanmar’s best hope appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| A Look Back at the Murder Trial of U Ko Ni Posted: 26 Jan 2018 11:54 PM PST Ahead of Monday's first anniversary of NLD lawyer U Ko Ni's death, The Irrawaddy has compiled several of its past stories about his murder trial along with related editorials, commentaries and more.
Govt Investigates U Ko Ni's Assassination Burma's government says it is investigating the assassination of prominent Muslim lawyer and NLD legal advisor U Ko Ni.
Third Suspect Named in U Ko Ni Assassination Plot The President's Office says suspect Aung Win Khaing, a former army Lt-Col, allegedly offered to pay his brother 100 million kyats to murder U Ko Ni.
'Losing someone like U Ko Ni is such a deep loss for the National League for Democracy' says the State Counselor in a rare public appearance.
Police Chief: Assassination of U Ko Ni Was Driven by 'Personal Grudge' At authorities' press conference, home affairs minister Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe says that it is highly possible that extreme nationalism fueled the grudge.
Burma Army Denies Involvement in U Ko Ni's Assassination The Burma Army was not involved in the murder, even though ex-military officers are suspected of being behind the conspiracy, says Gen Mya Tun Oo.
New Suspect Revealed in U Ko Ni Murder as Case Goes to Court Aung Win Tun is accused of harboring one of the alleged co-conspirators following the shooting of the NLD legal adviser.
Trial Begins for Men Charged in Prominent NLD Lawyer's Assassination Rangoon's Northern District Court commences examination of the assassination of lawyer U Ko Ni.
Examination of Murder Charges Begins in U Ko Ni Assassination Trial The gunman and three alleged co-perpetrators are being charged in Rangoon under Article 302 of the Penal Code for homicide.
Lawyer in U Ko Ni Murder Calls for Naypyidaw Arrest Warrant in Search for Fugitive In Rangoon's High Court, U Nay La requests an arrest warrant for suspect Aung Win Khaing be issued in Naypyidaw, where he was last seen.
Court Rejects New Arrest Warrant in U Ko Ni Murder Trial Rangoon's High Court refuses to issue a new arrest warrant in Naypyidaw for fugitive Aung Win Khaing, where he was last seen.
Court Orders Police to Re-Examine Fugitive in Ko Ni Murder Trial Police will renew a search for a key figure in the high-profile murder of the NLD legal adviser, last seen in Naypyidaw.
Police: No New Leads in Locating Fugitive in U Ko Ni Murder Investigation Police tell Rangoon's northern district court that they are no closer to finding suspect Aung Win Khaing and do not anticipate an arrest soon.
Conspirator in U Ko Ni Killing Still At Large Aung Win Khaing, one of the main suspects in U Ko Ni's assassination, is still at large with police staying silent about progress in their search for him.
Daughter of Assassinated Lawyer Testifies A Yangon court examines the 20th witness in the murder trial: U Ko Ni's eldest daughter.
Court Accepts CCTV Footage in U Ko Ni Murder Trial A total of 73 photos, along with the footage captured by 196 security cameras, is presented to the judges.
Court Accepts News Article as Evidence at U Ko Ni Murder Trial The defense objected to the inclusion of the article, about a 2017 press conference by the Home Affairs Ministry on the findings of its investigation into the prominent lawyer's assassination.
Brother Defends Accused Mastermind of NLD Lawyer Assassination in Court Fugitive Aung Win Khaing will emerge to clear his name, co-conspirator Aung Win Zaw says.
U Ko Ni was a fearless fighter who spoke up for his views, and he was a strong force in the democratic movement.
Almost a Year After NLD Adviser's Murder, Key Suspect Still at Large Friends and colleagues of U Ko Ni say the Constitution may be hindering the arrest of his assassination's suspected mastermind.
Rumors and questions around the death of U Ko Ni continue to run rampant as the authorities fail to bring his killers to justice. The post A Look Back at the Murder Trial of U Ko Ni appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| This Week in Parliament (Jan. 22-26) Posted: 26 Jan 2018 07:31 PM PST Monday (Jan. 22) In the Lower House, Mawkmai Township lawmaker U Sai Ngao Hseng Hein asked the government if it planned to adopt a universal and systematic garbage disposal and collection system for the country. U Aung Myint Tun, a member of the Naypyitaw Council, replied that municipalities lacked the funds to establish proper waste management systems. The council member added that the government should treat waste management as a national health issue and cooperate with municipalities. The Upper House voted down a proposal from Daw Htoot May of Rakhine Constituency (11) to teach four key English-language skills beginning from Grade 9 at government schools. Though English is a compulsory subject for students from primary to matriculation levels at government schools, students' general English skills are still low, argued the lawmaker. The Union education minister responded that his ministry has been reforming its teaching methods and designing new English textbooks so that students can acquire all four skills to an acceptable level. Tuesday (Jan. 23) The Upper House agreed to debate a proposal by U Pe Chit urging the government to recognize the conservation of Myanmar's shrinking natural resources as a national duty. The lawmaker alleged that the Mines Ministry doesn't even know how many rubies from the gem-rich town of Mongshu are being smuggled out of the country, and that it is failing to take action against mining companies that don't pay taxes. Wednesday (Jan. 24) U Han Zaw was sworn in as the new construction minister by the Union Parliament, which also approved the president's proposal to obtain a 5 million euro package of soft loans and grants from Unicredit Bank of Austria to fund public projects. The package has a term of 25 years. Of the total, 15 per cent is a grant and 85 per cent is to be reimbursed with no interest, according to lawmakers. Thursday (Jan. 25) In the Lower House, lawmakers debated and approved a proposal from Dr. Aye Min, a lawmaker from Yangon's Kayan Township, to recognize civil servants with a record of outstanding performance with awards and entitlements such as overseas trips for recreation and study. Friday (Jan. 26) In the Lower House, lawmaker U Sai Thiha Kyaw of Mongyai Township asked whether Parliament would cover the cost of constructing offices for lawmakers in their constituencies, along with providing funds to run the offices (paying for clerks, furniture, utilities, etc.). Dr. Hla Moe, secretary of the Parliamentary Rights Committee, replied that lawmakers may fund new offices out of their own pockets as the Parliament still cannot finance this. Dr. Hla Moe added that most lawmakers open offices on their own. Due to the budget deficit, the Parliament for the time being is unable to fund offices for lawmakers in 330 constituencies, he said. The post This Week in Parliament (Jan. 22-26) appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| A Year after U Ko Ni’s Assassination, Still No Answers Posted: 26 Jan 2018 07:20 PM PST Nearly a year on, we are no closer to finding out whose orders Kyi Lin was following when he gunned down U Ko Ni, a prominent legal adviser to National League for Democracy leader and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at Yangon International Airport on Jan. 29, 2017. To mark the anniversary, The Irrawaddy revisits this article from February 2017 reflecting on the political implications of the killing. The brazen killing of prominent legal advisor to the National League for Democracy and its leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi not only sent shock waves through the country, but also a signal: you could be next. Will we find out who really killed U Ko Ni? The assassin, Kyi Lin, who was caught just minutes after the killing, has a long criminal record and is believed to be a hired gunman. Under former President Thein Sein's government, thousands of criminals were released from prisons under several amnesties and Kyi Lin was one of them. Since last week, a manhunt has been underway and several unidentified people have been summoned and interrogated by law enforcement regarding potential connections to U Ko Ni's killing. Some suspects have been put under surveillance, but police have remained tight lipped. The public has unleashed criticism and anger toward the authorities; this is a high profile case and security forces will be held accountable if they cannot find any hard evidence linking suspects to the murder. The President's Office announced on Friday that police had apprehended another reported conspirator, Aung Win Zaw, in Hpa-an, Karen State, on Monday after he had fled from Rangoon. Myanmar Now reported that he is a former military officer who was kicked out of the army for breaking martial laws. He was also involved in the smuggling of Buddha statues and spent a jail term with Kyi Lin in Mandalay's Obo Prison. Sources said that police are still hunting for a 50-year-old man named Myint Swe, who may have allegedly hired Kyi Lin to shoot the lawyer.Conspiracy theories abound, but if powerful figures were involved in the killing, some speculate that the mastermind behind the murder will never be brought to justice. On Monday, Jan. 30, the office of the Burmese President, U Htin Kyaw, said in a statement that the attack had been carried out to undermine the country's stability, suggesting a political motive. Lawyer U Ko Ni had been trying to write a new Constitution to replace Burma's existing military-drafted one. It is not certain whether Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was in agreement with his proposal. But political observers have said that it was U Ko Ni who came up with the bold proposition to create the position of State Counselor for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who was barred from the Presidency. It remains worrying that more than one week after U Ko Ni's killing, neither police and security forces nor the government—which has strongly advocated for adherence to the rule of law—has held a press briefing on the incident. The army published a brief press release on Jan. 30 and sent a Rangoon regional commander to meet U Ko Ni's family members. But public criticism and frustration have mounted as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has refrained from making any public statement, let alone from sending condolences to the lawyer's bereaved family. Inside sources have said that she was shocked by U Ko Ni's death and has instructed her aides, as well as officials in the home affairs ministry, to investigate the killing and bring the culprit to justice. Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, who has visited Burma twice in recent months in his capacity as head of the Arakan State Advisory Commission, urged authorities to carry out an investigation as quickly as is possible. It is now known that U Ko Ni received death threats before he was killed. It is likely that his assassins followed him and studied his social media page, where he often posted pictures from his overseas visits. As U Ko Ni and a government delegation returned from a two-week trip to Indonesia, Kyi Lin was believed to have been tipped off as the delegation disembarked the plane. He was waiting at the gate as U Ko Ni arrived to see his family. So it is assumed that the assassin was told minutes in advance of U Ko Ni's movements—passing through immigration, the baggage claim and the arrivals gate. Kyi Lin then executed his deadly mission. It is still unknown how Kyi Lin acquired the nine-millimeter pistol used to kill U Ko Ni. News reports have said that an ex-convict was approached by Aung Win Zaw to kill a foreign diplomat, but no details further details on this point are currently known. The ex-prisoner told local media that he had turned down the offer. Political pundits have speculated that assassins were told to kill U Ko Ni in broad daylight so as to create fear and to send a message. Some extreme elements with vested interests in the country and its politics have been mentioned as suspects. But if they are themselves powerful figures or have close ties to other such individuals in the country, then history suggests that the family of U Ko Ni will not likely see the mastermind of the murder apprehended and sentenced in accordance with the law. In this fragile transition, justice is not guaranteed. Aung Zaw is the founding editor-in-chief of The Irrawaddy. The post A Year after U Ko Ni's Assassination, Still No Answers appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Yangon’s Challenges Looking Forward Posted: 26 Jan 2018 07:07 PM PST Kyaw Zwa Moe: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! This week, we'll discuss to what extent the Yangon government and regional lawmakers have improved the life of residents in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, over the past two years, as well as future challenges and how they will be handled in 2018. Yangon regional lawmakers U Kyaw Zeya and Ma Kyi Pyar join me for the discussion. I'm Irrawaddy English editor Kyaw Zwa Moe.
It is fair to say that Yangon has a lot of problems. The population is large. It has almost been a dead town for the past several decades. As far as I'm concerned, today's Yangon has a lot of problems such as traffic congestion, transportation and municipal laws, recovery of public spaces, capacity of the government, development projects, and so on. What is the most pressing issue that should be handled in 2018? Kyaw Zeya: The government tried to solve the traffic problem soon after it took office. We raised objection to two flyover projects, respectively at North Okkalapa and Parami, which were initiated by the previous government, because we believed that they would not ease the traffic congestion. A new public transportation system along with a traffic control tower was then introduced. It has been more than one year since then, but the system has barely solved the traffic congestion. In my township, street vendors have faced a lot of difficulty, and it is worse for street vendors in downtown areas like Kyauktada, Lanmadaw and Pabedan. These are only a few of many problems. KZM: Ma Kyi Pyar, what do you think are the most pressing issues to handle for the interests of the people? Kyi Pyar: We have worked for the interests of the people over the past two years. But there might have been some weakness in the procedures. The issue that must be handled in 2018 is municipality, because Yangon's city municipality is responsible for 33 out of 45 townships in the Yangon Region. There is also the Yangon Region municipality. We have two municipal laws. We are going to change the municipal law concerning 33 townships in Parliament. This law is critically important. It will be a milestone for the NLD [National League for Democracy]. If the law is flawed, it will be a milestone marking the poor reputation of the NLD. And if the law serves the interests of the people, it will be the milestone marking its good reputation. There are two parts – even if the law is good, we'll have to see if the capacity is strong enough to effectively enforce it, and to what extent the public interests will be taken into consideration. If it can serve the interests of the people smoothly, most of the problems facing Yangon will be solved. KZM: What are those problems? KP: All the problems in Yangon are related to municipal law. From birth to death, it is all concerned with the municipality. We used to have the feeling when we saw someone in municipal uniform that they would not provide good service. But working with them now, I have noticed that many of them are cooperative. But they are still far from serving the interests of the people. The top leadership is mainly responsible for this, I think. KZM: What do you mean by the top leadership? KP: I mean the Yangon mayor and four appointees along with those elected to the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC). There are more than 20 departments in the YCDC. If they can work well with the heads of those departments and those departments can effectively enforce the law and manage staff at different levels, this will help fight corruption. It is also important that individual officials take initiative. The most important thing is in regards to grease money. We must change the public perception that municipal officials need to be paid to get things done. If this can be changed, this will give the party [NLD] some credit, and also please the people in 2018. So, this is very important. KZM: U Kyaw Zeya, you are the secretary of Yangon's finance, planning and economic parliamentary committee. There are high-rise projects and historical and cultural heritage sites that need to be conserved as well as public spaces that need to be reclaimed. Under the previous government, public spaces were confiscated by the government, the Tatmadaw and some private companies close to the government. There were many public spaces rented for business purposes rather than for public recreation. What will be done about that this year? KZY: There have been delays in amending the municipal act. Previously, Singapore copied the municipal act of Yangon, and I heard that we will now copy the municipal act of Singapore. [Foreign] experts came and asked the YCDC if they wanted to turn Yangon into a cultural heritage town or a real commercial capital. The population of Yangon is expected to increase to 10 million in the future. There is a lot of vacant land in Yangon. They asked the YCDC how they would like to utilize those lands and public spaces and said they would give recommendations based on their ideas. Authorities still can't answer that question, I think. KZM: The municipal law is the most important one. But what else can be done before the law is amended? KP: There are certain things that are being done at the moment. We lawmakers were allowed to ask questions and submit proposals as of the second regular session of the regional Parliament. The first proposals we submitted were about garbage disposal and traffic congestion. The regional government is handling both of these. Garbage is one of the major problems in Yangon. Lawmakers of all of the six downtown townships signed and submitted a letter to the Yangon mayor about the garbage problem. We also discussed it in Parliament. The Yangon municipality as well as the people and the NLD party are undertaking garbage cleanup campaigns. We lawmakers also cooperate with them to systematize the disposal of garbage. But as you know, it is difficult to change a habit that is entrenched. Also, the human waste collection system in Yangon has problems. I asked a question about this during a previous session of Parliament. The government said it was trying to change the whole system with the assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). So, these works are in progress, which is good for the people. But as I've said, the government fails to solve the problem of street vendors. I submitted a proposal about it to Parliament. I didn't mean that they should be removed, but I said authorities should take the time to systematize street vending. Our term is five years, and it may take three years or more. But, my proposal was approved at once and street vendors were moved to the new place immediately. Some of the procedures were quite unsystematic. YCDC, as a government department, will do whatever it is instructed to do by its upper level, and they may not bother to think about how to make adjustments to plans. As I foresaw this, I had had intense debate about it. If you ask me if the plan works, it doesn't. And I am sorry about the 1.8 billion kyats that were spent to move the vendors of four townships [to the new night market]. I feel bad because it is fair to say this project was not successful. At the same time, I am thankful for the successful cases. The Yangon mayor and municipal officials mostly fulfill our requests for help. But to initiate projects without long-term plans is just wasting public funds. It is we lawmakers who have to directly engage with people on the ground. Both street vendors and people complain to us about their troubles. KZM: Ma Kyi Pyar, you are a member of the regional government's guarantees, pledges and undertakings vetting committee in Parliament. How is the committee monitoring the pledges and guarantees of the regional government regarding these examples? Do you think they can do it? Do they take full responsibility? KP: Mainly, our committee vets whether the regional government fulfills the lawmakers' proposals. We found that the government can fulfill most of the proposals because most of them are about building roads and bridges. So, the regional government fulfills them. It simply asks for a budget [from the Union government] for those things and builds them. But I want the government to put more emphasis on policies. Roads are easy to give, and the government just needs to allocate the budget for them. Our government has three years before its term expires. After three years, there may be a new government. We may remain as lawmakers or there may be new lawmakers. Anyway, if a firm policy is in place, no matter who comes to power, people have nothing to worry about. Speaking of proposals, let's talk about public spaces, since that might interest the people. It is important to note that the government has granted permits to use public spaces for other purposes even after the regional Parliament approved a proposal about [maintaining] public spaces. We've received a lot of complaints about it. Looking at the dates of the permits, they were issued in 2017, under the NLD government. Permits were issued to use lakes and sportsgrounds for other purposes. Even if we can't solve the old cases, we should not issue new land grants. We have to handle these complaints. KZM: Why has that happened? KP: Our committee members take trips to investigate complaints, and take back some public spaces. It is unacceptable that such things happen to the extent that people file complaints. Another thing is that we still can't handle permits for 232 land plots, more or less, that were issued during the power transfer. I have asked a question about it in Parliament in order to check their legality. We want to solve this through government-parliament cooperation. But, we still can't do that. KZM: By that you mean the government is less responsive? KP: We lawmakers very much want to change, and I believe they also do. But they have a lot more difficulty than us, and we understand their difficulties. They have to operate within the existing bureaucracy. And in certain cases in which they need to cooperate with the Union government, the minister gives one order, the director, another, and the permanent secretary, a completely different one. However, I'd like to urge the regional government to push through certain things when possible. KZM: At the NLD's central executive committee meeting last year, the party's senior leader U Aung Kyi Nyunt said the NLD was facing three major dangers, and one of them was bribery. He meant that there was a danger of NLD members being bribed by rich and privileged elites, especially businesspeople. He warned of that. Are there links [between government officials and businesspeople] to grant land permits for public spaces? KP: It is mainly about the land use policy in the municipal laws. KZY: The Yangon mayor said at Parliament that the Yangon municipality has to consider social relations [regarding land grants]. This speaks for itself. You can draw various conclusions from this remark. If the opposition party draws conclusions from it, it will have even more meanings. In fact, we made a proposal about public spaces and it has been approved by Parliament. But, the government fails to fulfill its pledge. KZM: How many land use permits were granted? KP: We've mainly received complaints from Thaketa and Mayangone. And we're handling them. We don't know about what is happening in other places. We only know the cases when someone files a complaint with us. KZM: Speaking of U Aung Kyi Nyunt's remark, he warned NLD party members about the danger of being bribed. He also talked about the haughtiness of some party members. Will you comment on this? KP: We inevitably have to engage with businesspeople to a certain extent. Most of the country's money is in the hands of so-called cronies. We need to work together with them as best as we can. Given the current situation in Myanmar, it is impossible to improve the economy without them. Businesspeople tend to see things through their business eyes. So, those holding political posts need to consider this wisely. The government might have a lot of difficulties and a lot of things to consider. We'll cooperate with them, and the government should also talk to us about its difficulties. We are close like brothers and sisters. Only when the government and Parliament push together, will we be able to achieve success in most of these areas. KZM: There must be checks and balances between Parliament and the government, but at the same time, they should support each other. Speaking of national politics, things are not very encouraging. There are conflicts in Rakhine State and clashes in Shan State. Overall, developments are not good. What is your assessment of Yangon politics? KP: Looking at Yangon alone, it is far from the issues you have mentioned. If you ask Yangon residents, they don't know much about it. They know a little bit about Rakhine State because there are Rakhine people as well as a high number of Muslims in Yangon. But speaking of the peace process, Yangon is far from the conflict areas, and Yangon's politics are not as bad as that of those areas. But then, problems arose as undemocratic things emerged in Yangon's politics. For example, the ban on protesting in downtown areas has drawn criticism from the media. We should rely on the media as the Fourth Estate of the country. And at the same time, the media should have ethics. Yangon's economy is important. If Yangon's economy collapsed, the national economy might also collapse. Politically, there are not many complications in Yangon. But its politics are largely connected with the economy. Another thing is that Yangon should set the example of democratic norms for the whole country. Taking a look at the whole country, there is a lot of cause for concerns. But we're trying as much as we can. We don't expect the worst scenarios because we are doing the best we can. KZM: U Kyaw Zeya, how do you assess Yangon's politics including the Yangon regional government, Parliament, major political parties and businesspeople? KZY: Grassroots people make up the majority in Yangon. There are better job opportunities in Yangon than other regions and states. So people from other areas including Irrawaddy and Bago regions come to Yangon. Politics is about public affairs. The grassroots people are not that interested in the Rakhine issue. What they are interested in is the squatter problem. We took the office, stating that we would accommodate the squatters. Our election declaration also adopted a policy to provide decent housing, in consideration of their human dignity for those who don't have houses because of natural disasters or economic hardship. It is almost two years now, and we still can't implement this. If we could solve the squatter problem as we have targeted, this would earn credit for both the government and Parliament. I'd like to urge the government to do it. KZM: How would you envision Yangon city and Yangon Region as the regional lawmakers? KZY: I'd like to see it as a boomtown without compromising our religious and cultural identity. I have been to Shanghai and Taiwan. They use rivers well. At night, rivers are illuminated with lights and are quite beautiful, and people cruise. We still can't do that on the Yangon River. We have Shwedagon Pagoda, which is in Phayagyi Ward. There is a square in front of the pagoda. The Yangon regional government has organized New Year's Dhamma talks at the square. But then, I saw foreigners drinking beer and gazing at the Dhamma talks from the restaurants in the adjacent area of the square. I feel bitter about it. I have talked about it in Parliament. This is the cost of development. I told the government that though [foreign-imported] liquor is banned in Yangon, you can buy wine or liquor or anything else. I don't want our cultural identity to be compromised. KP: I would like to keep Yangon as the commercial hub. But Yangon has a lot of things of great historical value, so it is also important to maintain it from that perspective. For example, there are a lot of historic places in Kyauktada and Pabedan. Those must be conserved. We would like to welcome new satellite town projects but there must be transparency. Those projects must provide job opportunities for residents. Yangon Region needs big activity that can result in an economic boom. This is also connected with the national economy of Myanmar. We want Yangon to be expanded in a transparent manner in the interests of the people. Another important thing is Yangon residents should be able to earn their livelihoods with peace of mind. I don't mean everybody should be well off. But, they should all be free from hassle in earning their livelihoods. For example, street vendors should have places to sell conveniently and do good business. For taxi and bus drivers, I no longer want to hear them complaining about traffic congestion. Even if Yangon can't become very rich, I really want to see people leading a fairly easy life in Yangon. KZM: Ma Kyi Pyar, U Kyaw Zeya, thank you for your contributions. The post Yangon's Challenges Looking Forward appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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