As any Yangon resident knows, there are a few problems with this city. Where to start? The crime? The traffic? The rabid dogs?
Yangon Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein has cautioned residents to manage their expectations about what newly elected lawmakers, swept to power after November polls, can really do.
After all they have a “tight budget” of just $300 million, he revealed at an address at Yangon University on Monday, the Irrawaddy reported.
“We wish to fulfill all the demands submitted to us,” he said. “But we have no money. Think of it like a household. A rich household can do everything. The Rangoon [Yangon] Division government has a budget of 332 billion kyats [$280 million], a small amount, which includes the funds for government staff salaries.”
Here’s a point of comparison, from historian and urban expert Thant Myint-U:
C’maaaan Suu Kyi, can’t you cough up a bit more for the country’s biggest city? Or at least for Phyo Min Thein, who is probably riding quite high in the approval ratings arena after singlehandedly took down extremist nationalists Ma Ba Tha.
In the meantime, the Chief Minister promises to try.
“We have no money. And there are excessive demands. But we listen to the people’s voices and try to set our priorities.”
