Yangon, Myanmar: Pyithu Hlutaw’s (Public Parliament) Investigating Commission concerning with rules, regulations and other speciality matters, formed by 46 professionals from various industries held a press conference on 22nd February. It was held in the parliament house located on Pyay Road,Yangon. Professionals from various industries and many reporters and journalists attended the conference. They discussed matters such as raising pay scale of government staff and also about controlling commodity prices in Myanmar.
Pyi Thu Hlutaw Chairman, Thura U Shwe Man, said to the media that he will try his best to raise the pay scale of appropriate individuals. He also said that salary of a government staff should be at least 100,000 Kyats (about US 122 US dollar). Currently, low level staffs are earning about 40,000 Kyats (about 50 US dollar) which is frankly not enough for a living. That is the reason why those government personnel are trying to get illegal jobs during working hours to earn a living.
Thura U Shwe Man, Pyi Thu Hlutaw chirman, told that he also had some criticisms concerning with his statement about raising pay scale. “I have heard some bad criticisms about my statement. I am surprised that government newspaper censored my speech which I made in Hlutaw (parliament). I don’t know whether they did it for my own good or not” stated Thura U Shwe Man on a press conference. “You can give comments upon this matter, we are now practicing democracy and you don’t need to be closed in anymore.” he added. He also responded to one of the questions from a reporter, “No, I am not doing this [statement] to persuade votes from public for our party, Union Solidarity and Development party. I think it is really necessary for the citizens and I am doing it [statement] for the development of our country and citizens.”
U Phae Myint, an editor of Pyi Thu Khit News Journal, asked “I am sorry to hear that your speech was censored by ministry of information. I would like to ask you if it is legal to censor a Hlutaw Chairman’s speech by country management. We are facing censorship everywhere. Even a Hlutaw chairman’s speech was censored in government newspaper. So where are our rights? Where is the media freedom?” Thura U Shwe Man responded to U Phae Myint’s question with “You all [media] have previous experiences, I think the answer is already in your heart.”