Tuesday, March 22, 2011

April Fool’s Day likely time to inaugurate new Burmese government

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Tuesday, 22 March 2011 12:30 Myo Thant

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – In early April, the junta will most likely do the nearly inconceivable and transfer power to a new parliamentary government led by president-elect Thein Sein, according to members of Parliament.

The president-elect of Burma, current Prime Minister
Thein Sein, who is expected to assume his new office
sometime in April. Photo : AFP
Khin Wine Kyi, an MP in the National Democratic Force, said April 1 is the start of the new fiscal year, and probably the time when governance will be transferred to 34 new governmental departments and the new president.

The president-elect and current prime minister, Thein Sein, a retired general, is also a founder of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and a close confidant of Senior General Than Shwe.

Moreover, the 66th anniversary of Armed Forces Day, which falls on March 27, will probably be a low-key affair this year so as not to detract from the new government, according to a source close to the army, who said the ceremony may be held indoors. In previous years, the occasion was used by Senior General Than Shwe to deliver a speech to a massive display of troops.

MPs said that, so far, they had not been invited to attend any Armed Forces Day ceremonies.

On Monday in the Upper House, Minister for Finance and Revenue Hla Tun responded to questions regarding lower taxation made by Dr. Myat Nyarna Soe, an MP in the  National Democratic Force, by answering that the taxation rate in Burma is the lowest rate among South East Asian countries and brings in sufficient revenue to manage the country and a lower rate is not now possible.

Minister for Energy Zaw Min responded to questions regarding ‘the resettlement of Kachin people who were victims of forced displacement as a result of government projects in Kachin State’ made by Su Khone Taint Yame, an independent MP. The minister said the government in the future will help in the resettlement of such people.

Also, the minister responded to a question regarding building a power station in Chin State to generate electricity. He told MP Zone Hlal Htan  of the  Chin Progressive Party that currently Burma has adequate supplies of electricity, and there is no plan to build a new power plant in Chin State.

On Monday in the Lower House, Minister for Electric Power Khin Maung Myint responded to questions regarding ‘whether various tariffs for electricity would be equalized or not’, made by MP Maung Nyo of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, answering that in Burma, electricity is produced in different ways and tariffs for electricity can not be standardized.

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