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Several Burma observers have said that Burma's new vice-president, Sai Mauk Kham, a 61-year-old Shan physician, will be powerless within the new government, and unable to fulfill the main requirements of the country, such as national reconciliation, political change and the continuing armed conflicts.

Shan VP

Thakin Chan Tun, a retired Burmese ambassador and a political veteran, said that though the Parliament has appointed a president and two vice-presidents, they will be bound by the restrictions of the  2008 constitution.

“They are just window dressing,” he said.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, Thakin Chan Tun said, “There will be no conflict among the new president and the vice-presidents because they represent the same party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party [USDP]. But the Shan vice-president will still be under the control of the former military generals who are also the leaders of the USDP. Sai Mauk Kham might be allowed some authority over minor issues, such as literature, culture, etc.”

The secretary of the Committee Representing the Peoples’ Parliament (CRPP), Aye Tha Aung, said that Sai Mauk Kham will not be involved in any important decisions that affect the country.

“Sai Mauk Kham is just for show in front of the international community,” Aye Tha Aung told The Irrawaddy on Monday. “The power of the state will still be in the hands of the National Defense and Security Council, which will be formed of former military generals.”

According to the 2008 constitution, Chapter 5, the National Defense and Security Council shall be formed by the president, vice-presidents, speakers of Parliament, the Commander and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services, and Ministers for Defense, Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs and Border Affairs.

Sai Mauk Kham was born in 1950 in Muse, a town located on the Sino-Burmese border in Shan State.

According to many of his former colleagues, he is very honest, hardworking and smart. After he had graduated in 1968, he studied at Mandalay Medical Institute.

One of his colleagues said that while he was studying in Mandalay, he was supported by a rich Shan benefactor because his parents couldn’t afford to send him money. After he graduated, his benefactor asked him to marry his daughter, Nang Shwe Hmone.

After Sai Mauk Kham qualified as a physician, he opened his own clinic in Lashio, the capital of Northern Shan State. His clinic became well known in the area and he developed a good reputation as a doctor. One local resident from Lashio said that although there are several good physicians in Lashio, many people only went to Sai Mauk Kham’s clinic. Later, Sai Mauk Kham became the Managing Director of a private hospital, You Le Kha hospital.

The Shan State National Army (SSNA), a fallout group from Khun Sa’s Mong Tai Army (MTA) signed a cease-fire in 1995. Sai Mauk Kham became a close aide of SSNA leader Col Gun Yawd. According to a local businessman, Sai Mauk Kham's wife, Nang Shwe Hmone, had a closer relationship than her husband with the SSNA leaders.

At the same time, many rumors spread that Sai Mauk Kham and Nang Shwe Hmone had concessions to sawmills cooperated by SSNA leaders. It was at that time that Sai Mauk Kham developed a close bond with military generals in the Northeastern Regional Command, such as Tin Aung Myint Oo, Myint Hlaing and Aung Than Htut.

Sai Mauk Kham is a keen golfer and has played at Lashio Golf Club with many high-ranking military officers. A source from Lashio said that Sai Mauk Kham became the USDP representative because Aung Than Htut asked him to take a seat in parliament. Several local people from Lashio, however, expressed sadness and frustration after seeing Sai Mauk Kham campaigning for the USDP.

During his election campaign, Sai Mauk Kham urged voters to use their votes wisely. He competed against Sai Kham Leng from the White Tiger Party in Shan State Constituency 3. The election commission announced that Sai Mauk Kham won the seat with 43,641 votes to Sai Kham Leng's 29,132.

Sai Mauk Kham has long been known for his support for Shan culture. He was the chairman of the Shan Literature and Culture Association in Lashio. According to local residents, Sai Mauk Kham was never involved in politics before the election.

Sai Mauk Kham becomes the second most prominent Shan person in the history of Burmese government after Sao Shwe Thaik, the first president of Burma.