A move by Myanmar’s current administration has come under a public debate again as it adds another elderly minister to its already-ageing Union Government.
President Win Myint on May 28 nominated 80-year-old Soe Win to fill the position of planning and finance minister that was left vacant by the resignation of Kyaw Win who has been under a corruption probe. The parliament was expected to confirm the appointment of Soe Win as the new finance minister in the subsequent week following the nomination.
Soe Win, the country managing director of Deloitte & Touche in Myanmar, is a well-known finance professional who started a career in the financial field in early 1960s. Studied at Bank of England and National Westminster Bank in mid-1970s, Soe Win joined Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank as deputy controller of foreign exchange in 1990 and became general manager in 1993, deeply involving in the drafting of banking laws and rules and making financial policies in Myanmar.
In the following years after leaving Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank in 1996, Soe Win worked at renowned audit and tax firm Pricewaterhouse Associates. He founded his own business advisory company Myanmar Vigour in 2003, which later became a member firm of Deloitte & Touche in 2015.
Soe Win in his 80 becomes the oldest member of Myanmar cabinet led by de facto leader State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who herself will turn 73 on June 19. According to an observation gone viral on Facebook, there are nine Union Ministers who aged 70 and above. They are Naing Thet Lwin (78, Minister for Ethnic Affairs), Dr Than Myint (75, Minister for Commerce), Aung San Suu Kyi (73, Minister for Foreign Affairs), Kyaw Tint Swe (73, Minister for Office of the State Counsellor), Han Zaw (72, Minister for Construction), Thaung Tun (71, Minister for Office of the Union Government), Ohn Maung (71, Minister for Hotels and Tourism), Thura Aung Ko (70, Minister for Religious Affairs and Culture) and Dr Myint Htwe (70, Minister for Health). Another nine ministers in the Union Government are over 60 including Thein Swe (69, Minister for Labour, Immigration and Population) and Dr Pe Myint (69, Minister for Information) as the eldest, and Dr Aung Thu (63, Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation) and Kyaw Tin (63, Minister for International Cooperation) as the youngest. And other three ministers are in their late 50s.
Soe Win, a member of the Bar Council in Yangon, is also a senior member of the Central Economic Committee of the ruling party National League for Democracy. It needs to wait and see the capability of an 80-year-old minister who comes to office amidst widespread criticism of the slow pace of financial reform and a lack of focus on the economy by the current government.
