(Author Jonathan)

In this modern world, A powerful country is measured by how the country’s economic power and if needed how military power is strong enough. Of course, a strong economic power could afford to build the most advanced military power if it intended to.

A country’s economic power is the key to having a strong military power and the country’s various needed sector from health, education, social security, and employment.

How to build a strong economic power?
It purely depends on what kind of economic plan a successive government has laid down for the country, not only for a fiscal year plan but for a decade and long-term 50-100 years plan. Usually, most governments set up 5 years plans based on the changing all-around geopolitical-economic environment.

But a country like Burma has failed with economic reform and political reform since independent from the British ruler. Dictator General Ne Win has introduced “Myanmar’s Socialist Reform”, a failed self-style socialist system without preparing the basics necessary to accompany the system to be successful. Later, the second dictator U Than Shwe led SPDC military team introduced the market economy without understanding how it worked. U Than Shwe’s market economy system was carried out by his right man, ex-military leader U Thein Sein. He and his team led the quasi-civilian government from half-baked democracy into a total capitalist system from 2010 – 2015, moreover, they even agreed to a “Free-trade economy with ASEAN countries”.

A “Free-trade” economy deal is only beneficial for countries that have a huge production and are ready to enter new markets anywhere. The country must be prepared in quality, quantity, technology, and even if needed ready to go the lowest price in order to occupy the market (In return, which would boost mass production in the country and lead to boosted employment, profits, and its related chain economy will grow. As a result the country’s GDP will sharply increase.) The bilateral trade must not be much “trade deficit” (different from each other to be fair for both), therefore it is important to have a balanced trade all the time.

But U Thein Sein’s led government has prepared none of them, before the “free-trade” agreement with ASEAN. Traditional products alone do not boost the economy by themselves, it has to transform with modernize technology and encourage local product to become international standard products. The state needs to protect and assist to be able to compete in the market. Instead of exporting our own products to others, Burma just let enter countless companies around the world, especially within ASEAN have entered freely without paying import duty tax. The worst is China imports goods without having a proper bilateral agreement and with low-quality products with health-related dangerous products. What is the reason to have a free-trade agreement?, Just to get recognition of this ex-military personnel on the world stage and be a member of ASEAN? This is absolutely stupid and not only understanding basic economic principles but an act of betraying the country for their military personnel image to be seen as gentlemen.


Backed in Dictator Ne Win’s era (the one who introduced the one-party Socialist system), he and his former boss Ba Swe and Kyaw Nyein (who is also considered one of the founding fathers of modern Burma and socialist theoretician, who strongly support neutralism instead of joining power blocs), leaders of Burma’s Socialist party, introduced a socialist system which they do not able to implement correctly with all the needed ground level work. Under a one-party socialist system, transparency is impossible and corruption was taken in all sectors. The worst thing was “demonetization” in almost everything and the state cannot supply either. As a result, the black market became a nightmare that exists everywhere and led to the total collapse of the country’s economy.

Due to Dictator Ne Win’s one-party Socialist system did not succeed in Burma, many thought the idea of socialism is not fit for the country of Burma. Actually, it is clearly the opposite of what they think. The actual ideology of Socialist is the noblest work and it’s enhancing the love of society and mankind. Even a country like the USA, which is called capitalist based and practices a market economy; practices a socialist system in the different regional-based administrations; supplying and responsible for the basic needs of society for those who are not able to afford by themselves. The most brutal country like North Korea, provides ration-based basic needs to its citizens, though it may not be good enough to survive properly. But the idea is to highlight the role of government to take responsibility for their citizens. The most crowded nations like China and India have a certain protection program for their citizens. India is one good example, where most SC/ST-based tribal minority ethnics and slum people (who do not own any property and have to live with temporal makeshifts), received a kind of monthly supplement of basic needs as long as they can be documented that their monthly income is below poverty level, which the government has set up.

The government of India never allowed foreigners to invest in middle and small-scale sectors, but only in mega projects and multi-billion business projects to protect local investors. This proved the duty of government is not only to rule the country but also to protect and provide for the interests and the needs of its citizen as a good parent would do for their own family.
Unfortunately, the people of Burma never have a good government except gangsters, thieves, and robbers who forcefully rule the country. They have never protected the interests of Myanmar citizens and never provide for their basic needs, instead robbed and abused if needed killing without reason. During this time of the military coup, the people experienced the worst persecution from Min Aung Hlaing-led terror gang.

Last Monday, May 8, 2023, around 13, I got a little careless accident on my hands. I felt nothing strange and let it go. But at night 23-24, I got a high fever and extreme pain in my hands and could not sleep the whole night. The next early morning I called the local medical center to get an appointment and check out the hands. Since I am in 6-hours drive far distance from my private doctor, they do accept to check my hands and find out blood poisoning. They make an appointment at the main hospital for further investigation. There were different tests at different departments, and let me go home to wait for the results. Once they found out the result, they called me immediately and asked me to make surgery at once. I didn’t expect it to be such a serious situation, but they did surgery at midnight and let me sleep in the hospital. It has been 4 days in the hospital hoping to discharge tomorrow though. The point that I want to highlight is; some though the socialist system takes time in every process and it does not work very well.

The thing is, in the socialist system, everyone is considered as a family, therefore anyone who is in urgent need according to their various test result, the person will be given priority. Therefore some were frustrated when they were not treated immediately. I would like to suggest one thing, in a socialist system, if you cannot be patient enough; you are free to use your own money to treat anywhere in the world but not with public finance. Of course, the system is well structured and uneasy to corrupt it here. That’s the reason why the socialist system survives and it is meaningful for society.

If the country of Burma is going to apply mix-economy and social-democratic system, the people of Burma must mentally and physically prepare for it and be willing to see anyone as their own family member. In the meantime get rid of racists, ethnic differences, poor and rich differences, and how we see each other as a family or as a stranger or as a foreign nation. Once, we are willing to build a sound healthy society, we must start thinking to adopt the social-democratic-based system because it has able to solve better than any other system. One thing for sure is without a Social-democratic system, there will never be equality, the gap between rich and poor will be hugely different and society will be enormously divided. And that country is ready for manipulated by neighboring countries and bound to fail in every sector.

Filed under: 1 General News, 2 Burma News |