A Myanmar saying goes: “People like the preaching preached by who they like.”
It means a person will be admired if they have good ethics. The Myanmar saying is very familiar to people in our country. Bad people will never be admired.
Recently, we had a series of shocking news reports; an unfair political pension bill submitted to Parliament, a bill concerning exploitation of natural resources, and a bill giving impunity to a retired president for any illegal acts executed while performing his or her duties in office.
A bill was submitted in Parliament giving a political pension in a lump sum amount to all lawmakers and cabinet ministers. Many politicians were shocked. It is unprecedented and unheard of in Myanmar, and we have to oppose such practices.
Moreover, almost all of these lawmakers were not reelected in the recent general elections. In fact many were viewed by the people as incapable of performing their duties and serving the people – the real holders of sovereign power. Now the public has to pay these men and women a huge lump sum: it is a shameful tragedy.
In truth, lawmakers should make sacrifices for ordinary people. They should stand firmly in the forefront of the people and serve the people like a saint – pure and honest.
Politicians and ethics cannot be separated. Self-interest should be alien to a politician.
More recent shocking news: Everybody knows the country’s natural resources are being brazenly and illegally traded off in public view. Almost all natural resources are being exploited. The whole world can see how the Hpakant jade mining area is being excavated by heavy mining trucks, excavators and earth-moving machines.
It’s the government’s duty to stop such overexploitation, but the government isn’t doing its job and no one is held accountable.
The whole world can see us living under the law of the lawless.
It’s an embarrassing reality in our country. It saddens the people, but they have to accept these things – at least for now.
We will wait and see how the new government deals with such issues, and we hope abuses are put right. The people’s interests must be served ethically and honestly.