Infrastructure Should be High on Development Agenda: Expert
Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters
There exists no legal framework in Myanmar that governs the enforcement of foreign court judgments and the national laws still need to be amended on that point.
Developing infrastructure should be a high priority in the upcoming 2016-20 National Development Plan, said Myanmar expert Professor Toshihiro Kudo.
The National Development Plan – to be implemented in five-year phases – is a program that started in 2011 and set to finish in 2030.
The first phase 2011-15 has finished, and the second phase 2016-20 is about to start.
“We don’t have enough electricity in Myanmar. In the year 2000 in Yangon, people could only get about three hours of electricity per day. It is getting better now, but the supply is still not enough. Japan is helping the government build infrastructure for the electricity and transport sectors,” Kudo, who is a professor at the Tokyo-based National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), said at a workshop on Myanmar’s next five-year plan.
The government should also help foreign investors to connect with local businesses, he added.
“There are a lot of Japanese investors who want to come to Myanmar. There are so many opportunities. The people are hardworking, but there are problems with skills development.
“Proper government policy is the most important thing for development and the government should listen to what their people want.”
