A ruling party MP has launched a scathing attack on the government over the slow pace at which it deals with petitions of complaint from the public, saying it was like driving on a freeway at five miles an hour.
“The government is weak at dealing with grievances from the people; it should not forget that it is being fed by the people,” U Myint Tun, who represents Bago Region in the Amyotha Hluttaw for the Union Solidarity and Development Party, said on March 5.
“Cabinet members are not fulfilling their duty while leading a life of luxury and privilege,” U Myint Tun said.
“Only when they accomplish their duties will they gain the confidence of the people,” he said during a debate on a report from the Amyotha Hluttaw committee for petitions from the people.
The report, submitted to the upper house on February 26, said that of 1,269 petitions of complaint submitted to the government during 2013, only about 500 had been resolved.
The government had not replied to the complainants in 757 cases and had set them aside. They included 730 complaints involving the Union Government and 27 which had been sent to the Chief Justice.
The committee was established in August 2011 to investigate complaints from the public. If the committee decides that a complaint is justified, it is referred to the relevant ministry.
U Myint Tun said some of the petitions were submitted by people who were in distress and who felt they had no protection under the law.
He said ministers and deputy ministers were making promises when they answered questions in the Hluttaw, but the promises were never fulfilled.
