Top Ten Essay from Purrfect Essay Competition
by Thwin Han Htoo
Myanmar, once considered as one of the most promising developed countries after the colonial regime, unfortunately, sank into turmoil that devastated its hope to become Asian Tiger. But opportunities thanks to unexpected political conversions in 2015 poise to restore its former glorious golden years. Under the leadership of iconic figure, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar is ready to take off as her party NLD secured most of the seats in the 2020 Election. Truly, this is not an easy path and both challenges and chances are along the way.
Accelerating pandemic is clearly a ringing bell for our country because education, economics, and health care systems are being frozen and broken down and the looming impacts are mounted. As a citizen, I would always envision what future our country could be. And my ultimate desire for our country is to be “A Peaceful, Prosperous and Sustainable Land”. But in the next five years, the pandemic forces the Government for struggling to call up a massive reform and orchestrate curing, laying out plans to prevent further disasters, and thriving in the future. Complicated and being in a dead-end. But I am optimistic that this is the perfect timing to replace the old system with a new one and rebuild it from the scratch. I would pick up the six most important ingredients to consider. Here are my insights.
First and foremost, “Politics and Institutional Reform”. Myanmar has the longest civil war on the planet. It is urgent to get a peace treaty because true peace could give the power to control the border, responsible for smuggling and drugs, and save exhausted war expenses and resources. Intensive institutional reform should be one of the top priorities. Most Myanmar people are unwilling to deal with the Government department due to corruption, unproductivity, and uncomfortableness. There is no surprise to fail to establish transparency, interaction, and trust between fellow citizens and the Government whose core value should be serving for the sake of its people.
The second is “Education”. Without a proper education system producing loads of technicians and skillful laborers seamlessly, the survival of the country will not be guaranteed. Practical education encouraging “Innovation and Creativity” should be provided free, affordable, and reachable to most citizens regardless of gender, race, and religion. In order to reduce the Teacher-Pupil ratio and incubate massive qualified teachers, the Government should establish funds and education universities. Proper income, the standard of living, health care, and pension should also be provided for teachers. Upgrading and building new schools and facilities such as laboratory and library in a remote area is needed to make sure “Free Education for Everyone”. Research centers should be provided in academia. The goal of education is to produce an abundant human resource of literacy, numeracy, discipline, and ethic.
The third should be “the Economy”. There are loads of burdens ahead of the elected Government. But finding relevant solutions to cure the stagnant economy in the post-pandemic era, reduce poverty, increase foreign investment, promote private sectors, and encourage young techno-entrepreneurs should be the top priorities in the next five years. Myanmar is likely to attract more foreign investment because of its unique position being on the crossroad of ASEAN and the two most populous countries China and India. Plus, international trade agreements such as the recent RCEP deal, are urged to increase productivity. But the large volume of exports is still accounted for raw materials and natural resources such as gasoline, agricultural, fishery products, and livestock. Therefore, it is vital to invest in technology to transform raw materials into end products and a service-oriented economy. Moreover, decent livings should be provided for the poorest class of the country, the peasantry. But the downside of the opportunities would also invite the outsiders, it is important to make sure home-grown enterprises thriving in harsh competition as many foreign companies and their products are entering into the local market.
The fourth goes to “Infrastructure”. We have seen significant development in the last five years. Roads, bridges, telecommunications, and electric grids are being expanded, upgraded, and renewed. The Government would need to establish Infrastructure which enables trade, powers businesses, connects workers to their jobs, creates opportunities for struggling communities, and protects the nation from an increasingly unpredictable natural environment. I presume aesthetic infrastructure as a symbol and driving force to the wealth of the country.
The fifth is “Health Care System”. In Covid-19, we have witnessed how vulnerable our existing system is. Excluding volunteers and non-profit organizations, it is impossible for a poor health care system to cope with the looming burden of a pandemic for such a long time. Like education, high-quality health care should be provided free, accessible, and affordable to most people, especially in remote areas where precious lives are being suffered from unnecessary losses due to lack of sufficient medical care and quackery.
The Final is “Environment”. Myanmar is on the list of most affected countries by climate change. There is usually at least one strong natural disaster encountered every year. Frequent storms, extensive floods, severe drought, and huge landslides drive massive waves of refugees. It is urgent to preserve the existing ecosystem. Being a developing country, massive projects would be established for the development of the country, but it is also vital to make sure those projects do not worsen the environment. If unachievable, all of the efforts to get development will go in vain.
To be clear, my insights are not arranged as a list from most important to least important or vice versa. They are literally interconnected to each other in reality. Therefore, the most crucial thing is to achieve steady, simultaneous, and interdependent growth between those six ingredients at the same time. Under the strong leadership conjoining heartfelt support of fellow citizens, I would contend undoubtedly Myanmar will be at its deserved place as a remarkably developing country near future.
About Author
Thwin Han Htoo is a life-long learner trying to comprehend the world and connect the dots on how nature works.
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