Paying Lip Service Won’t Purchase Reform

Afterwards, she told reporters in Bangkok that Burma’s Border Affairs Minister Maj-Gen Thein Htay, “strongly believes there must be peace, and it can only be achieved by fair treatment of ethnic minorities and by providing development opportunities for them.”

But again, these words have yet to be matched by any serious negotiating proposal that is even close to appeasing the ethnic groups, who are aggrieved over the government’s attempt to ram its Border Guard Force proposal down their throats and recent encroachments into their controlled areas.

In addition, while Thein Sein and Thein Htay may be playing a conciliatory tune, Information Minister Kyaw Hsan is singing entirely off key.

State-run newspapers under Kyaw Hsan’s influence wrongly, but quite possibly intentionally, ran reports that a deadly shoot-out had occurred at a meeting of Kachin Independence Army (KIA) leaders held in Laiza, Kachin State, where the 10,000-strong ethnic armed group has its military headquarters.

At the same time, several posters were put up by unknown people in Kachin State alleging that well-known KIA leader Gun Maw had been killed during the internecine fighting among the KIA leadership.

Kachin leaders angrily rejected the news reports and the posters as a sheer propaganda effort organized by the information minister and aimed at misleading the people about the KIA leadership. “As a minister, Kyaw Hsan is making baseless remarks that can only damage the dignity of his position,” said La Nan, a Kachin leader.

The only notable tangible shift in policy passed by the Burmese Parliament regarded tax cuts. In response to the stagnation of the Burmese economy, the Lower House passed a bill proposed by Finance and Revenue Minister Hla Tun to revise the country’s tax code and remove some forms of double taxation.

The measure can be described as a positive policy move, despite the fact that this tax “reform” does not do much to help the Burmese export sector, which has been weighed down by the weakened US dollar.

Still, it must be acknowledged that the desire for “reform” is in the air in Naypyidaw, although the consistency of the commitment and pace of the process are dubious given the lack of meaningful progress that goes beyond mere speeches and discussions.

However, Naypyidaw understands that reform initiatives must be taken now if Burma wants to assume the Asean chairmanship in 2014 and integrate into the Asean Free Trade Area in 2015.

If the talk of reform is not followed up by action at Naypidaw's highest levels, Burmese government expressions in support of political and economic change will once again prove to be mere lip service—sweet words for the purpose of seducing the international community, which turn bitter once the desired prize has been obtained.