Crony Thought

CRONY, a word we very often see in media these days. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines it as "close friend of someone especially; a friend of someone powerful (such as politician) who is unfairly given special treatment or favors". The definition itself has explained the privileged of the word. It's unavoidable for our country while we trying to open up our economy. In past, a handful of cronies has been created by former Junta. We see repeatedly them taking big national projects without necessarily bidding tender like outside world usually do. They will easily take profit-making business while other business people struggle with risky projects. By this way, there have been some tycoons in Burma in last decade time.

To be optimistic, it is good to see ethnic Burmese tycoons in business world domestically. Generally, Myanmar's business is per-dominated by ethnic Chinese and Indian business-men and group. Under level play ground, there is no way to compete those ethnic strong business group by our native people. The statistic shows that 70% of Myanmar's business are done by those ethnic Chinese and Indian. Then where gone our native people? Mostly they have to work for those rich ethnic people's factories or works. Our people gradually become poor and unable to access well education and health care. As a result, our people become poor and do all general works, once we shy away from. In history, such 3D jobs were taken by migrant workers from China and India. Now, those migrant worker's generation become rich and taking upperdog status. They know how to do business in corrupted world. They know where to bribe and how to make profit from work. They would help each other among their minority race community. By this way, local people become worker community and visiting people become rich community.

Fortunately, army is made of ethnic Myanmar races and they favor their relatives to get big job. This trend encourage to born Myanmar tycoons in the business world. I believe, most Burmese tycoon are buddhist and they will return their profit to support our religion. By this aspect, what if those profit went to Chinese and Indian business community. Definitely, they won't return those money to improve community service. Then, can we say that getting or creating crony community is better than giving those visiting people especially to muslim community business men. They will support their mosque and try to expend their community. Finally, they will make complete dominant upon our main religion, Buddhism. It's going to be happen unless our leaders are wise enough to prevent it by right policies. If this is a case to consider, I would personally prefer to see cronies community grow. Of course, it would be better to reduce inequality among poor and rich. But it will take sizable time to achieve. For a moment, Myanmar parliament has to make new laws and amend old outdated law in order to prevent people's benefit. Hope some cronies pay back in community development and regain people's confident in them.

May our cronies able to sympathize our people's plight by participating in democratic movement.