State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, admitted the slow economic growth during last six month in a meeting with business leaders in the administrative capital Nay Pyi Taw on October 22. Aung San Suu Kyi said that the government will develop a skilled workforce in the country to promote economic development. She added that law enforcement will also play a key role in the development of Burma. “We will focus on anti-corruption in the country. If business leaders come across corruption cases, they should complaint to the State Counselor’s Office and we will investigate,” she says.
She also said that her administration would concurrently prioritise both politics and the economy, as the two depend directly on each sector, addressing criticism that the government is not paying enough attention to the economy and instead focusing only on politics and the peace process with ethnic minorities.
During her speech, Suu Kyi called on key business players in the country, dubbed by critics as “cronies,” to make decisions focused less on personal gain and more on public benefit to help contribute to the development of the economy, and also called out other businesses for cooperation with government for economic growth.
She stressed that her intention was not to dwell on the past, expressing optimism that past behaviors could be forgiven and reformed. Suu Kyi said she was not against some citizens getting rich, as long as they did so “fairly.” Regarding tycoons who made fortunes exploiting links with Burma’s repressive military rulers—helping to finance their rule in turn—she says, “We cannot mend the past. But I would like to request that they act fairly at present.”
