MYANMAR (BURMA) TODAY
292292At the time of writing, much of the daily mechanics of government,
including how the national and state legislatures will interact and the
role of the military, remained unclear. Seasoned observers, such as Mac-
quarie University academic Sean Turnell, are sceptical of the notion that
Than Shwe has relinquished power, believing that behind the scenes he
continues to be the government’s puppet master.A Land of Rumours
Whoever is in charge, it’s pretty clear they’ve got quite a job on their hands
to revive the country’s fortunes. Yangon may have a few fl ashy shopping
malls and wi-fi -enabled cafe-bars where fashionably attired youths sip
cappuccinos and jabber into mobile phones, but the vast majority of
people in Myanmar remain the poorest in Southeast Asia. According to
Sean Turnell from Macquarie University in Sydney, the economy ‘is unbal-
anced, unstable and devoid of the institutions and attributes necessary
to achieve transformational growth.’ Transparency International (www.
transparency.org) places Myanmar behind only Somalia as the most cor-
rupt country in the world, and along many of the country’s borders the
longest running civil war in modern history continues to spark and fl are.
Reporters Without Borders (http://en.rsf.org) nails Myanmar as a ‘cen-
sor’s paradise’, but also notes that the local media did a professional and
creative job covering the 2010 election and Aung San Suu Kyi’s release. Still,
most locals glean what they can about the machinations of power in their
country from the tried and trusted channels of gossip and rumour. While in
Bagan on research in February 2011, we heard it whispered that billionaire
Tay Za (see p 26 ) had been involved in a helicopter accident hundreds of
miles north in the Himalaya Mountains near Putao. A few days later the ru-
mour was confi rmed on the internet. That’s how news travels in Myanmar.Myanmar’s na-
tional parliament
is made up of the
440-seat People’s
Assembly (Pyithu
Hluttaw) and the
224-seat Upper
House (Amytha
Hluttaw). There
are also seven
state legislatures.Dos & Don’ts Greetings
» (^) Do remove shoes on entering
a Buddhist site or home. Dress
respectfully: no shorts, short
skirts or exposed shoulders.
» Don’t touch somebody on the
head (including a child).
» (^) Don’t pose with or sit on
buddha images.
» (^) Don’t point your feet at anyone
or anything – apologise if you
accidentally brush someone with
your foot.
» Don’t speak politics with locals
unless they raise the subject first.
» (^) Do ask before your
photograph anyone.
» (^) Greet someone by saying
mingala-ba, meaning
‘auspiciousness be upon you’.
» Use a person’s full name –
locals don’t have surnames
» (^) Shake hands or pass money
with your right hand, with left
hand ‘holding up’ your right arm.