Following
is the full text of the report delivered by Union Minister U Kyaw Tint Swe
during the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw meeting yesterday:
Speaker
of Pyidaungsu Hluttaw and all members of Parliament, I wish you all good
health, wealth and prosperity.
In
accordance with Article 228(B) of the 2008 Constitution, and the invitation
dated 3 September 2018, I present this report on the work of the elected
government to the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw.
Now
is the time to reconstruct the nation to make it a peaceful, stable and strong
one. At the same time, effort is being exerted to build up a Union in which the
justice, freedom and equality aspired since attainment of independence will
prevail. In addition to the prevalence of natural justice, equal rights in
respect of political, economic and social justice shall prevail. The Union we
are building shall be one which is pure in ideology and which is cherished by
all.
Additionally,
efforts are also being taken to develop our democratic transition into a mature
democracy. In fact, these three processes are not to be implemented separately,
but all together. This is what the government would like to emphasise.
Speaker
and all members of Parliament,
In
the process of establishing a peaceful, prosperous and resilient nation, we
must take account of the need to strengthen the mechanisms and institutions of
government. It is of paramount importance to uphold rule of law, ensure the
mental and physical wellbeing of our citizens, provide for equality of
taxation, deliver basic services to our people, including education, health and
social services, transportation, communication and infrastructure development,
and to strengthen the administrative mechanisms of government.
In
order to achieve these aims, it is important that we create opportunities for
citizens from across the country to participate in these endeavours. We urge
all our citizens to cooperate together with the government.
We
have witnessed the cooperation of government, civil society organisations and
citizens both during the peace process and holding 21st Century Panglong
Conferences, as well as in the course of adapting and creating new government
policies.
Speaker
and all members of Parliament,
The
government is undertaking to establish a Union for the benefit of all its
citizens, however, there are still many challenges to overcome to ensure our
successful transition to democracy.
As
the government has anticipated, the 2008 Constitution should be amended
step-by-step, to guarantee the smooth transition. Similarly, the Democratic
Federal Union can only be implemented if we can build freedom, equality and
mutual respect amongst the ethnic people.
With
this in mind, the current government has made the peace process a top priority.
With the peace process at the centre, national reconciliation can be also
achieved, and this, shall lead to democratic transition and the establishment
of the Union.
The
main goal of the current peace process is to reach political agreements, to
sign the Union Accord,and to implement steps for establishing a Union based on
democracy and federalism. In doing so, common approaches will be agreed through
the process of holding political dialogue.
The
role of military in the peace process is also very crucial. We need to overcome
many challenges harmoniously during the peace process.
Establishing
the federal Union and achieving the democratic standards anticipated by the
government will take time and can only be done step by step. However, our
ultimate goal to establish a democratic federal Union is unwavering. In order
to bring about a political agreement, the 21st Century Panglong (Union Peace
Conference) has already been held three times. As of now, 51 political
agreements have been agreed. The government has reiterated its commitment to
establish a Union based on democracy and federalism which has been continuously
requested by the ethnic people.
At
the second meeting of the 21st Century Panglong (Union Peace Confernece), an
agreement was in fact reached on matters regarding the right to self-determination
and the formulation of state constitutions. However, after reaching agreement,
this had to be set aside. Just as non-secession is important, it is equally
important to join hands together to build up a federal Union.
Speaker
and all members of Parliament,
While
the government is working to establish peace, stability and a democratic
federal Union, there are many challenges. For over 70 years, previous
governments have been trying to resolve the issues in Rakhine State, which have
been smouldering in the background. This is the reason why the transition to
democracy has been slow, as the current government is trying to take care of
the Rakhine issue first.
Since
the ARSA attacks in October 2016, the situation has been unstable. The issues
reignited in August 2017 when 30 border police outposts and a military
headquarters were attacked by ARSA.Due to the terrorist attacks, a significant
number of people fled over to neighbouring Bangladesh, and as a consequence,
Myanmar was blamed in the international arena.
The
necessary arrangements for repatriation, relief and resettlement have now been
undertaken in accordance with the bilateral arrangement signed by Myanmar and
Bangladesh on 23 November 2017.
The
Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE)
The
Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE) consisting of two well-known
international personalities and two local experts was established in accordance
with the law. This Commission is tasked to investigate allegations of human
rights violations and the related issues of terrorist attacks. There will be
cooperation and collaboration among relevant departments and organisations, the
security forces and the ICOE.
We
are capable of handling our national affairs not only by utilising our
sovereign power, but also by being able and willing to do so.
Myanmar
respects the sovereignty and dignity of each individual nation, and therefore
it will continuously work towards fostering closer friendships that will
contribute towards global peace and the improvement of international relations.
In this regard, it is also crucial to follow international laws and agreements.
In
order to handle the Rakhine issue, peaceful coexistence through diversity will
be implemented. However, if mind-sets and perspectives remain the same as when
the conflicts and tension occurred, we will not be able to resolve these
issues.
Thus,
the issue should be addressed with a new approach, taking into consideration
regional and international perspectives, in accordance with 21st century
globalisation. We will only be able to overcome the unfair challenges and
pressures with the unity of our citizens.
The
Rakhine situation is a very complex and sensitive issue.
The
government would like to express its gratitude to the public for its
understanding, trust and support during this difficult and stressful period as
it is trying its utmost for the future development of the nation.
In
its nation building endeavour, the government continues to strive to amend laws
that are no longer agreeable to democratic values and accepted human rights
standards.
The
Union Government aims to institute the rule of law, through the development and
promulgation of laws, rules and regulations, law enforcement, and the
administration of justice through the legal system to promote good governance.
The
Union Government has put great efforts into enhancing the ability of the youth
to think critically and philosophically, by providing more access to libraries
and research, so that a new generation of highly educated youth can be
produced.
Better
access to educational opportunities
In
order for the new generation to have better access to educational opportunities,
better and higher school attendance levels and to lower the rates of school
leaving, the union government has upgraded 6,386 schools.
10,732
primary school teachers, 383 middle school teachers and 1,221 high school
teachers have been appointed. A total of 4,799 buildings comprising 4,585
school halls and 214 staff accommodations were built.
Text
books, exercise books and school uniforms have been distributed to government
and monastic schools, free of charge. Pre-schools and primary school syllabuses
were changed and 81 non-formal education programs, introduced.
In
order to ensure greater job opportunities, the government training and
vocational institutions have been further strengthened in Insein, Pyin-Oo-Lwin
and Kyaitlatt. In addition, the Singapore- Myanmar Vocational Training
Institute (SMVTI), the Nyaung Shwe Vocational Training Institute(NVTI) and the
Nay Pyi Taw English Proficiency Training School were further introduced.
Similarly,
before 2021, the government will open 36 technical institutes, government
technical high-schools and vocational training schools, along with an increase
of 2,933 teachers. Two-year educational colleges will be advanced to four-year
degree colleges.
During
the last three financial years, the education budget has been gradually
increased.
In
the 2016/17 financial year, the budget was 1,726 billion Kyat; in the 2017/18
financial year, the education budget was 1,756 billion Kyat; and in the 2018/19
financial year, there will be an increase to 2,175 billion Kyat in expenditure.
An
increase in the health budget
Similarly,
in the health budget, there has been an increase. In the 2016/17 financial
year, the budget was 881 billion Kyat; in the 2017/18 financial year, the
budget was 1,076 billion Kyat; and in the coming 2018/19 financial year budget,
the expenditure will be increased to 1,131 billion kyats.
Together
with the increase of budget in the health sector, health care services have
also been increased. A new 16-bed regional hospital, 18 rural health clinics,
20 rural sub-clinics, and 16 traditional medicine hospitals were newly built
and 7 hospitals also received upgrades. A total of 22,421 doctors, nurses,
midwives, health workers, dental experts and health workers were also newly
appointed.
The
building of 3,644 healthcare staff quarters were also completed. Public health
clinics were also opened in rural areas. This helped the early detection of
diabetes, hypertension, etc. so that effective health care can be given in the
early stages.
Work
on the eradication of malaria is being conducted. 64,060 chronic disease
patients suffering from TB and 156,372 patients suffering from HIV were being
given health care. In order to give better health education, health care
workers and health service staff were provided with mobile tablets to assist
them with “e-Education, e-Consultation and e-Medicine.”
Medical
student enrolment from remote regions has increased from 3% to 6%. In 2016/17,
59 students were accepted. In 2017/2018, 81 students were accepted. There was
also an increase in post-graduate studies in 10 disciplines and there are now
126 disciplines of post-graduate studies.
In
terms of human resources, 3,952 doctors, 492 dentists, 1,121 health workers,
4,143 nurses, 2,550 midwives, 299 women health workers, 529 post graduate diploma
holders, 529 masters degree holders, 1,581 Master of Science degree holders and
220 PhDs were produced. During the tenure of the new government, funds were
made available for medical research, and advances in medical research projects
were achieved.
We
acknowledge the role of the Hluttaw Representatives in making possible a
notable improvement in the education and health budget, thus allowing the
government to realize a future generation that is healthier and better
educated. The government also holds seriously its accountability to expending
the nation’s budget.
Sufficient
and good infrastructures are mainly required for building a nation. 67 numbers
of over 180-feet bridges, 218 numbers of bridges between 180 and 50 feet that
are 285 numbers of bridges in total have been constructed across the country in
the past two years. It is planned to complete the construction of
Thayet-Aunglan Ayeyarwaddy bridge in the third year. It is also planned to
complete the construction of over 400 bridges needed by the people across the
country.
Apart
from the construction works by Ministry of Construction, 144 Union roads were
upgraded with the assistance of the ADB, the World Bank, JICA, KfW of Germany.
Of them, 333 miles of concrete road, 358 miles of tar road and 1,030 miles of
nylon-tar road were upgraded.
Besides,
the ministry upgraded 2,916 miles of road in total and 1,940 bridges in rural
areas as part of efforts for providing the rural people with smooth
transportation. The Ministry of Construction would upgrade roads in rural areas
every year, setting its target of turning the roads to all-weather roads to be
accessed by 80 per cent of the villages and 90 per cent of the rural population
of the country.
Urban
projects and industrial cities
Urban
projects and industrial cities are being developed in some big cities like
Yangon and Mandalay within 3 years for systematic development of urban housing.
Economic
growth is expected to accelerate by having businessmen participate in these
mega projects. The development of these mega projects will create job
opportunities and have multiplier effects in the economy. These effects will
drive the economy and positively influence on the national GDP.
The
role of active young entrepreneurs has become important among today’s
businessmen. The government has been supporting to have more young
entrepreneurs emerged. These young businessmen are the future of Myanmar’s business
environment. More businesses at the international level will emerge by
supporting and nurturing them.
Negotiations
have been made in cooperation with the IFC of the World Bank Group for the
development of Yangon elevated road project in coming 2019 with a view to
address the traffic issues in Yangon. Such development is being pursued with
the expection not only to address traffic issues but also to create job
opportunities.
Urban
development is becoming a challenge for highly populated cities. It is
important that future potential developments are taken into consideration to
address these challenges.
During
the past 2 years, it was planned to construct 10,924 rooms for public housing
and for government employees, among which 57,48 rooms that is 70 percent of the
plan are now available. Efforts are being made for timely construction of the
rest and in addition, construction of over 10,000 rooms are planned, out of
which over 4,000 rooms are to be constructed through different PPP models and
over 6,000 rooms are to be constructed by private companies.
Urban
projects in 33 cities across the country have been implemented and planning for
additional urban projects are being developed in cooperation with the states
and regional governments. The Master Plan for Yangon Regon, Master Plan for
Yangon-Hantharwadi-Bago corridor and Master Plan for Southwest of Yangon have
been developed in cooperation with JICA of Japan and KOICA of Korea.
It
is important to have higher electricity supply in the process of developing
road and transport connectivities, and also developing urban housing and
infrastructures. Development of these basic infrastructures could open up
business and job opportunities.
Electricity
supply increased by 556 MW
During
the past two and a half years, electricity supply has increased by 556 MW from
2,802 MW to 3,388 MW. Hence, electricity can be supplied to 33 cities, 3,843
villages and 684,013 households. As the electricity consumption has been rising
from 15% to 19% per annum, it will increase up to 4,531 MW in 2020-2021.
In
order to meet the electricity demand, efforts are being made to generate 220 MW
in 2018, 449 MW in 2018-19, 737 MW in 2019-2010, 1,351 MW in 2020-2021 that are
2,757 MW in total.
The
natural gas production may gradually decline as the production from Yadana
project has reached a plateau level. Offshore national gas exploration and
onshore oil exploration are being expanded to mitigate the effect of gradual
national gas production decline.
Drilling
of deep and shallow wells are being conducted in the sea near Rakhine,
Ayeyarwaddy and Taninthayi coastal areas. Currently, prospects are observed in
A-6 off the Ayeyarwaddy coast. Once the estimated reserves have been confirmed,
official announcement would be made. Tender proposals will be solicited to
international companies for the exploration of onshore and offshore blocks.
Agricultural
sector depended on by the majority of population has become an important
foundation in developing basic infrastructures for the nation building. To strengthen
the important economic foundation, to have farmers’ families benefited from
their own farming, and to have the generations of farmers possess the right to
their farm land, the 2012 Law on Farm Land and 2012 Vacant, Fallow and Virgin
Land Management Law have been amended to reflect the actual onground situation.
Encountering
natural disasters on a regular basis
Along
with the environmental degradation around the world, Myanmar has been
encountering natural disasters on a regular basis due to climate change and
losses are encountered on the annual basis.
During
the perid under the existing government, Disaster Risk Management Committee and
Ministry of Social Welfare Relief and Resettlement
have
spent Kyats 2.4 billion and Kyats 11.330 billion respectively that are Kyats
13.739 billion in total for the support and rehabilitation activities in the
disaster areas.
To
avoid difficulty in access to agricultural and drinking water in the dry zone
and coastal areas, plans are being made for effective storage of rain water.
Thanks
to renovation and maintenance of reservoirs and irrigation system, about 1.23
million acres of rice received irrigation water sufficiently in this rainy
season and about 1.167 million acres of rice were supplied with irrigation water
from the reservoirs and dams. Besides, this year saw further 260,000 acres of
rice in summer while about 1,500 tube-wells were drilled for agricultural
purpose and about 400 tube-wells for supply drinking water.
To
be able to adapt to climate change impacts on agriculture, to improve
timeliness agricultural production and to minimize the loss and wastages in the
sector, we believe that the use of farm machinery should be increased.
Therefore, plans are underway to promote the use of agricultural machinery.
Today, about 75 per cent of the cultivation were operated by mechanization from
ploughing to harvesting.
The
incumbent government has released a total of 63,417 acres of confiscated
farmland so far and returned 13,091acres to farmers and 50,326 acres to
ministries and regions and states.
To
accelerate the country’s economy based on the agricultural sector and to boost
the agricultural products, the Union Government laid down the national export
strategy, practicing all possible means and ways to get the export market for
Myanmar’s products.
Regarding
the export sector, efforts are being made to produce value-added products from
rice, peas and pulses, fish, textile, woods and rubber. Besides, the Union
Government has stepped up its efforts for promoting transport, quality of
export products, availability of information on trade and financial services.
Today, Myanmar’s export is relying on agricultural sector, fishery and
livestock sector, and private small and medium enterprises.
Local
production sector facing challenges
Meanwhile,
local production sector is facing challenges, such as getting quality seeds,
shortage of machinery in production, fertilizer, systematic use of pesticides,
shortage of skilled laborers. To be able to provide the people with safety and
nutritious food, efforts are being made to promote organic crops production and
high-quality products. It is found that the special challenges for our SMEs are
capital, technology and market penetration.
Government
borrows ODA from JICA as two-step loans for SMEs in order to fulfill the need
for finance and Kyats 60 billion loans has been extended to SMEs within 3
years. It is also planned to extend the loan of additional Kyats 200 billion to
the SMEs in 2018-2019. In addition, the State-owned Myanmar Economic Bank also
plans to extend the loan amounting to Kyats 250 billion as SME loans.
Similarly,
JICA two-step loans amounting to Kyats 200 billion was acquired to support
farmers and help them have better access to finance during a transformation
process towards mechanized farming and Kyats 30 billion loans has been extended
to farmers so far. Myanmar Economic Bank also plans to extend the loans
amounting to Kyats 200 billion for agriculture and livestock farming
businesses.
Agriculture
loans extended by Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank has increased from
Kyats 100,000 to Kyats 150,000 per acre for paddy farming. Loans extended for
other crops have increased from Kyats 20,000 to Kyats 50,000 per acre and it is
planned to further increase up to Kyats 100,000 per acre.
The
presence of illegal trades, lower export generated incomes, loss of taxes,
depletion of natural resources, illegal importation of consumer products have
significant impacts on domestic small and medium sized industries and pose
significant challenges exposing risks to consumers. It is planed to have these
challenges properly handled in accordance with the Laws.
Trade
imbalances exist due to current account deficits as imports are much higher
than exports. As US dollar has strengthened significantly since the past April
and June, many currencies in the world including Myanmar Kyats are becoming
weaker. Although that is a global impact, depreciation of Myanmar Kyats is
found to be more significant than those of other countries.
While
there are many factors that cause Myanmar Kyat to depreciate, current account
deficit, interest rates, inflation and economic prospects are factors among
others that mainly influence on the exchange rate.
Analyzing
the depreciation of Myanmar Kyat, although it started with the external
impacts, the domestic factors that include but are not limited to weak economic
fundamentals and structural issues have significant impacts on the exchange
rate. Looking at the trade, trade deficit was US$ 3.8 billion in 2017-18 and it
is actually lower than previous years.
In
2016-2017, trade deficit was US$ 5.2 billion and it was US$ 5.4 billion in
2015-2016. It is evident that these deficits have had a lot of pressure on the
domestic currency.
Second,
changes in seasonal foreign currency demands also have impacts on the exchange
rate. Especially during the period from July to December, demands for foreign
currency is usually high.
In
order to reduce the trade deficit, to strengthen domestic economy and to be
resilient and to withstand various impacts, the government has been going
through various reform processes in cooperation with the private sector
stakeholders.
Government
of Myanmar places a lot of effort in enhancing productivity, developing main
economic drivers, and creating favorable investment and business climate.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for application of business approvals and permits
are being developed and a Single Window system according to which applications
can be made and approvals and permits can be received at one place will be
developed soon. Now, the new Companies Law has been enacted and online system
through which companies can be incorporated without needing to come to the
office has been up and running. Hence, it is projected that Myanmar’s Ease of
Doing Business ranking will improve in the years ahead.
With
the cooperation of private sector and based on the efforts made by relevant
government deparments, it is planned to improve the ranking of Ease of Doing
Business for Myanmar from the current status of 171 to less than 100 in a few
years time. It is aimed not only at improving the ranking but also at changing
the existing procedures of the government departments, especially to change the
current situation of unpopular red-tapes, increased corruptions, and the
mismatch between the government’s policy objectives and its departments’
organization and performance.
Speaker
and all members of Parliament,
At
the same time, the government has established a four year (2018-2021) strategic
plan for anti-corruption reforms and initiatives to reduce the erosion state
funds and bring bribery and corruption under control.
The
government’s plans are now in place to implement the strategic plan for
anti-corruption and bribery. At the same time, in order to protect individual
rights and the basic rights of citizens, the protection of human rights is
being implemented as a matter of great importance.
The
Myanmar National Human Rights Commission is ensuring greater understanding,
promoting awareness and protection. In police cells and prisons, noticeable
improvements in food and accommodation can be seen.
Legal
aid for people who cannot afford legal representation
Legal
aid for people who cannot afford legal representation has been established.
Legal aid is given to citizens who are poor and unable to defend for
themselves, such as children, women, the elderly, disabled, and people
suffering from communicable diseases.
Similarly,
the President’s Office has taken direct responsibility of the anti-narcotics
taskforce. It is encouraging to see that there has been continuous cooperation from
the people in reporting information on drug-related crimes.
Since
the taskforce was established on 27th June 2018, until 17th September 2018, a
total of 698 reports were made and 514 of these were investigated, resulting in
174 arrests made. A total of 426 people (356 males and 70 females) were
apprehended. A total of 2,626.97 grams of heroin, 16.71 grams of ICE, 34,896.85
grams of opium, 144,781 tablets of amphetamine, 3,356.74 grams of marijuana, 10
assorted arms, 179 assorted ammunitions and 1 hand grenade were confiscated. To
date, there have still not been many reports of large-scale drug traffickers
received.
Three
centres for youth rehabilitation managed by the Central Committee for Drug
Abuse Control, and 9 centres for rehabilitation managed by the Ministry of
Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement were opened to give assistance,
education and treatment programs to people taking mind-altering drugs and other
kinds of substances. Assistance and rehabilitation to people suffering both
physically and mentally was also given through educational and vocational
training.
The
Myanmar police force, which plays a vital role in upholding the role of law,
has been enhanced to improve law enforcement. Arms and weapons have been
updated, and training schools have been upgraded together with international
institutions. Updates were also made to the forensics and DNA lab facilities.
Communication equipment has been upgraded. It is understood that for nations
going through transition, it takes an average of 10 years for the rule of law
to take firm hold.
It
is a long-term investment, where dynamic and unrelenting motivation is
required, if the nation is to live in harmony, peace and security under a
strong and firm rule of law.
Speaker
and all members of Parliament,
May
I conclude by clarifying that the government will exercise the powers vested in
them by the people, with the collected efforts of the people, by:
•
Ensuring the rule of law and promoting socio-economic development;
•
Peace and national reconciliation; and
•
Firmly upholding our objective to amend the constitution, which is the basic
foundation for building a Democratic Federal Union.
Ref;
The Global New Light of Myanmar
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