President Thein Sein’s office, on 9 July, issued a directive on the order of precedence to be observed when conducting national level ceremonies and holding meetings chaired by the president, according to a copy of the document received by SHAN.
The list begins with the President and Vice Presidents at the top and directors of the Defense Ministry at the bottom (#34).
Chief ministers of state/region are listed at #17, under House Speakers, commander in chief, deputy commander in chief and union ministers, but over joint chief of staff, lieutenant generals and regional commanders.
A source in Lashio, Shan State North capital, reported in August that Shan State Chief Minister Sao Aung Myat, a scion of the defunct Pwela princely house, visited the city.
“He was saluted and treated with great deference by the regional commander,” he said. “During the meetings held while he (chief minister) was there, he seemed to be the guy who was in charge, and not the regional commander.”
“I have never experienced such a sight since 1962,” he concluded.
The Shan State, like other states, had a state government led by a chief minister, who was concurrently a union minister, from 1948, the year of independence, to 1962, the year of the military takeover.
Since then, although there were appointed chairmen of the Shan State Council, their offices were ceremonial as actual powers were wielded by the regional commanders. After the 1988 coup, regional commanders formally displaced them as chairmen of the state councils.
The question, of course, is whether civilians will be accorded more powers under the new civilianized government led by ex-General Thein Sein. SHAN’s sources so far are unable to give a satisfactory answer.
