Thein Sein Calls for Clean Government
“The most important task of the new administration is to work together to create good governance and clean government,” Thein Sein was reported as saying by The New Light of Myanmar, a state-run newspaper.
To achieve this, he said, all levels of government must be “transparent, accountable and consistent with the constitution and the existing laws.”
For many observers, however, his words offered little in the way of reassurance, as Burma remains one of the world's most corrupt and oppressive nations.
“Thein Sein said that judicial affairs should be handled openly, but in fact there are still cases being tried behind closed doors at Insein Prison,” said Nyan Win, a lawyer for Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, speaking to The Irrawaddy on Friday.
Aung Thein, another prominent Rangoon-based lawyer, agreed that corruption and a lack of transparency remain the norm in Burma.
“It exists in every government department, and will take a lot of effort to solve,” he said, adding that every new government decries corruption when it assumes power, but few actually do anything about it.
Part of the problem, he said, was that the new government is in fact powerless to do anything without the approval of the generals and ex-generals who have ruled Burma for the past 22 years.
In his speech, Thein Sein also said that administrative bodies “must be careful not to obstruct the fundamental rights of a citizen while dealing with the laws and procedures.”
“What he said is true, but what's important is whether the authorities actually follow his words. Words without actions are meaningless,” said a lawyer from Naypyidaw.
Pho Phyu, a lawyer who has represented Rangoon farmers in land seizure cases, welcomed Thein Sein's speech, but also stressed that major reforms would be needed to combat abuses in the judicial system.
“Right now, the courts are not really places where people can expect a fair hearing. If the government wants to create a just and straightforward legal system, it will have to guarantee the rights of lawyers,” said Pho Phyu.
Burma's Bar Council Act abolished the right of lawyers to organize and form associations, and other rights and freedoms are also limited, he added.
Source: www.irrawaddy.org
Posted by East Sun Moon
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