(Editorial) – With his country on fire, what does newly elected Burmese President Thein Sein do? He retreats to the farm.
This was the spectre that greeted the Burmese people who read the latest edition of The Voice on Tuesday. At a time when the fighting between the Burmese army and the fighters of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) is reaching a critical juncture, President Thein Sein is said to have his head down digging in the dirt to carry out agricultural research on special farms in Naypyitaw.
The president’s retreat to the tranquility of the farm lands on the edge of Burma’s new capital is explained when he says agricultural research is important for his impoverished country, ironically a casualty of the decades of misrule of the military generals. But it is clear that the face of Burma’s new democratically elected government–a general turned-prime minister turned-president–is showing a marked reluctance to tackle the major challenges facing the country. In comparison with other generals, the president appears to lack the confidence to progressively change the system of government from a military dictatorship to a functioning democratic system. As part of this, he also seems incapable of reengineering the corrupt administrative machinery.
While it may still be the early days of the new government, tackling the pile of problems on his plate needs to begin in earnest.
It is significant to see the emergence of complaints and anxiety over the growing overdependence on China and expanding Chinese interests in Burma from the government’s inner circle, protégés and crony businessmen soon after the president’s official visit to Beijing.
China is portrayed as the staunch supporter and life-saving medicine for ailing Burma. If the news reports saying China has asked for a port-of-call facility at Kyaukphyu deep sea port are true, President Thein Sein will violate the long-held policy by successive governments of having no foreign troops on Burmese soil. This will become a burden for him.
On the domestic front, the president did little to ease the concerns of pro-democracy groups when he granted a mere one-year commutation of sentence for prisoners recently. This ‘amnesty’ outraged dissidents concerned about the fate of more than 2,000 political prisoners.
Burma’s economy continues to languish in the dirt but there is little to indicate that the country’s new leader can do anything more than tinker, assuming he is not working on the farm.
At the same time, the government continues to ignore the rights of ethnic minorities in their individual states, walking the old military path under the new cloak of a civilian government.
The fighting in Kachin State and the resulting trauma for tens of thousands of refugees is merely the most prominent example of issues that need to be solved. The immediate cause for the outbreak of new wave of civil war is forcibly implementing the 108-million Yuan Tapein (Dapein) hydroelectric power project in Kachin State and selling the output to China using the power of the gun. Ironically, the fighting and refugees contrast with the motto of the Chinese company Datang–‘Supply green energy, giving light for happy lives’.
Chinese companies are building nine large power plants and dams in Kachin State including the Myitsone project on the upper Irrawaddy River, the lifeline of Burma. All of these projects are endangering the environment in the region, according to many environmental groups, and are also not benefiting the local people. The implementation of these projects has worsened the decades-long conflicts.
Not only does Kachin State face such a problem. Shan State, Rakhine State, Karenni State and Karen State also suffer from the wholesale exploitation of natural resources.
Former US president George W. Bush was criticized on many occasions for hanging out on his farm on frequent and extended vacations and neglecting his national duty. Now the Burmese people find their president down on the farm fiddling while his country continues to struggle in pain.
In time, the people will censure the president for wasting time on the farm and neglecting his work because he cannot control both the party and the army.
Now is the time to begin real reforms that benefit the people and stay true to his oath when he addressed Parliament in his inaugural speech.
