In the Face of Corruption, Local Residents call for Publicly Elected Administration in Mon State

HURFOM: Due to decades of government appointed administrators’ chronic abuse of power, corruption, and inhibition of local development, residents from Thanbyuzayat Township, Mon State demand that public desire be the sole determiner in decisions concerning the election of central or state government administrators for township and state administration in Mon State.

From years of corruption, residents have learned not to accept a representative chosen by the government, and are demanding their right to elect village and township administrators based on public desire, as opposed to government appointed administrators, in order to better protect their community against corruption, lack of management, and to enhance local development.

Lower House MP Pyithu Hluttaw in Mon State describes widespread corruption that government appointed administrators have engaged in during their appointment in Mon State. “They made their business using many ways from local people”, one Pyithu Hluttaw MP says.

Most notably among Thanbyuzayat Township’s corrupt government appointed administrators, is Ye Kyaw Khaing. Ye Kyaw Khaing held his position of township administrator for nearly a decade, during which he abused his power through illegal taxation, among other means. According to a local source from the city, Ye Kyaw Khaing was involved in various illicit activities, from selling drugs, imposing illegal taxation on residents, opening a brothel, and allowing armed groups to gamble openly in his district.

One Pyithu Hluttaw MP detailed how he met with Ye Kyaw Khaing, while the administrator was transporting materials with his six- wheel truck. One Pyithu Hluttaw MP states, “When the administrator, Ye Kyaw Khaing, moved back from Thanbyuzayat not long ago, I met his truck which was full of materials on the way. I felt bad when seeing him bringing a lot of materials with him”. Ye Kyaw Khaing abused the power afforded him as township administrator to order illegal taxation of local residents, and use the profits to his personal benefit.

Corruption by government appointed administration had been longstanding and pervasive. “ For instance”, says one Pyithu Hluttaw MP, “Mine Mine Lwin, from the Military Intelligence Bureau, has served in Thanbyuzayat for nearly a decade. He handled illegal cases, while his wife served as lawyer. In many cases, Mine Mine Lwin’s wife accepted bribes [from defendants], and in return she handed out reduced sentences”.

One Pyithu Hluttaw MP, states that “according to the 2008 constitution, administrations of all levels in Mon State, from village to township to state, are directly connected to the government”. He explains that the law allows the government to command over administrators who serve, and stand, for the country’s ethnic populations, and “this is not right”, he says. He further notes that “this section of the 2008 constitution is not welcomed by any MP, or community development organization, in Mon State”.

In effect, this section of the constitution allows the government appointed administrator to govern ethnic populations in rural areas, and Thanbyuzayat residents are calling for reform. He urges that “the administration system for Township, State, and Mon State government must be voted upon, and decided by the public”. He states, “it is not acceptable for the government to appoint administration officials within Mon State”.

One Pyithu Hluttaw MP stresses that residents of Mon State “[can] not accept what [the] government [has] decided on administration system according to the 2008 constitution for township and state administration, but [the decision must be] from [the] public, so we can build [the] development process by ourselves in [the] Mon community and get rid of practices that are illegal such as bribery and corruption like Ye Kyaw Khaing did”.