A civil servant from the Ministry, who spoke to Mizzima Daily on May 29, on the condition of anonymity, said that a memorandum addressed to all departments had instructed staff to refrain from any involvement in political parties or political affairs such as referendum events.

“The minister has instructed ministry staff that they are not to attend any public speeches,” said the civil servant, “he did not clarify what the consequences would be if we were to disobey this order,” they added.

In response to these accusations U Kyi Myint from the Myanmar Lawyers’ Network said that the act was simply a violation of human rights.

“This act is a violation of rights that are provided within the constitution,” U Kyi Myint told Mizzima, “the rules within the civil servants handbook prohibiting government staff from involvement in political parties should be removed,” he added.

Also in response to the allegations, U Ye Htut, the presidential spokesperson said that this practice was not out of line with international standards.

“When we say government staff should stay out of political affairs, we mean they should not become involved with political campaigns. The ministry prohibits that its staff become involved in political matters that are related to their respective departments. This is common across most countries,” said U Ye Htut.