Hundreds of Bago Region residents staged a demonstration on Sunday to call for the resignation of Chief Minister Win Thein, claiming the leader has failed to meet the needs of his constituents.
The chief minister’s critics say he has failed to boost local development, prevent traffic accidents, create jobs, and resolve land disputes.
The protesters’ march from Bago’s Shwemawdaw Pagoda to the regional parliament compound was led by around 30 NLD members, who oppose Win Thein’s leadership despite the fact that he is a fellow NLD member.
According to Nay Lin, an NLD member who helped lead the protest, the chief minister’s most glaring errors have been his failure to protect the people of Mayin village from having their land stolen by a businessman and his inability to remove squatters from a local airfield.
“Under him, there hasn’t been a single new factory or workshop. It’s absurd, considering how the US and the EU have fewer restrictions on us than ever. Public bus lines that were added are completely unnecessary and only serve to crowd our roads and create more accidents,” Nay Lin told Eleven.
Win Thein has responded to the accusations in a variety of ways.
“Poor communication between our cabinet members and the public leads to such protests. We made presentations in all 28 townships to let the public know about the government’s work, but some people didn’t know about them so they are dissatisfied with us,” he told the Myanmar Times.
In response to the accusations about land disputes, the chief minister said they will take time to resolve because he cannot address them all at once and because they must be addressed in accordance with Union government procedures.
“I am not worried about my position. The people have needs. If they are not satisfied with our performance, please meet with us and point it out directly. Please cooperate with us to make necessary changes,” Win Thein said. He also said he would step down for anyone who could do a better job.
However, he also accused his critics of being “hasty” and of not understanding Myanmar’s constitution, which gives the president authority over chief ministers’ appointments.
He also called on the NLD to penalize members who participated in the protest, which was not officially sanctioned by the party.
Sunday’s protest was the third that has targeted Win Thein since he took up his post. In addition to targeting the chief minister, the previous protests also called for the resignations of Bago Region’s Development and Social Affairs Minister Maung Maung Lwin and Environment and Resources Minister Kyaw Min Zan. Both resigned recently.
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