Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Nyan Tun Oo, a Rangoon Region minister, directly addressed the corruption issue in Burma’s new government on Tuesday, saying it would be impossible to immediately eliminate corruption because it would be difficult to find qualified replacements in many key government jobs.
At a press conference in the Rangoon Region People’s Parliament building, a local journalist asked the minister about the new government’s warning about corruption among officials, and Nyan Tun Oo answered that it would take considerable time to root out greed and corruption.
‘We are fighting corruption as much as we can’, he said. ‘We have issued a warning about corruption. We are preparing to appoint replacements for all employees who fail to heed the warning’, Nyan Tun Oo said.
Nyan Tun Oo is in a position to affect change, as the regional minister of the Health, Education, Science and Technology, Sports, Foreign Affairs and Immigration ministries. The root of the problem is sheer greed and low incomes, he said. To tackle the problem, the government will do two things: take legal action in pursuit of corruption cases and draw up plans to increase the living standards of government employees.
‘To be a clean government, we need good governance’, he said. ‘I mean we need a good system of management. Good management can eliminate corruption’.
On other issues, Nyan Tun Oo said that the new regional government was engaged in an effort to lower the crime rate, promote local development, increase the supply of electricity, improve the transportation system and reorganize the Ward Administration Office, all within about 20 days since it assumed office. He cited one immediate example of positive change in improving the petrol rationing system, which meant customers did not have to wait in long queues at petrol stations.
‘Not only myself but also my superiors, we don’t want the people to mistrust us’, Nyan Tun Oo said.
He said that the new government wanted to know the realities of people’s lives via the media, and it wanted the media to report the government’s actions without bias.
With regard to freedom of press, he said, ‘Freedom of expression is allowed if the media’s information doesn’t harm the state or the government. We do not allow actions or words that can harm the nation’s security or the dignity of the people. The relevant censorship boards will decide that. It’s not our responsibility’.
He said the Rangoon Region government will hold a press conference each week on Tuesday. Questions must be submitted prior to the press conference in order to allow the relevant authorities to prepare to answer them, he said.
