THE sixth-day meeting of the Second Pyithu Hluttaw’s 12th regular session was held yesterday. Making Mawtaung trade camp permanent

Daw Tin Tin Yi, MP for Kyunsu constituency raised a question on whether the temporary Myanmar-Thai border gate trading camp in Mawtaung Sub-town, Taninthayi Township, will be made into a permanent trade camp. She reasoned that the trade through the camp only takes 8 hours for Myeik’s fishery products, thus considerably reducing transportation fees and allowing effective inspection for quality.

Deputy Commerce Minister U Aung Htoo replied that both countries need to agree on and add in a clause in the border demarcation agreement for Mawtaung trade camp to be established as a permanent camp. Moving network boxes off pavements

U Tun Myint, MP for Bahan constituency raised a question on whether the network boxes placed inconveniently on pavements in Bahan Township will be moved to more suitable locations and whether the entangled communication lines and utility poles leaning from their weight will be fixed. Deputy Minister for Transport and Communications, U Kyaw Myo replied that Myanma Post and Telecommunications, the Myanmar Post and Telecommunications and the Yangon Region government are working together to install new multi-service access nodes (MSAN) to replace the old devices and will work with external professionals and communications-licensed companies to handle the utility poles and reduce overhead cable clusters. He said this will reduce the inconvenience in public spaces throughout all of Yangon.

Bill Committee’s amendments to Basic Education Bill approved

Next, Bill Committee member Daw Mar Mar Khine submitted the proposal for amending the Ministry of Education’s Basic Education Bill to the Hluttaw. Pyithu Hluttaw Speaker U T Khun Myat called for the assembly’s deliberation on the Bill Committee’s 67 amendments outlined in their proposal. With no opposition raised to the proposal, the Speaker announced the bill has been approved and will continue its due process.

Urging government to appoint local ethnic teachers first
U Nyan Hein, MP for Thanbyuzayat constituency tabled a motion urging the Union Government to enact a policy that prioritizes graduate ethnic people in the primary teacher selection process in their hometowns.

The MP said he has read the full report on the basic education schools in Mandalay and Yangon submitted by the Union Education Policy Commission at the 11th regular session of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw but stated that the challenges and solutions outlined in the report are different from the ones rural areas are facing. He said the first challenge there is the language barrier.

U Nyan Hein said the Union Government’s success in making the transportation network better has resulted in more ethnic people from rural areas graduating university. He said assigning them to teaching roles will solve the language barrier issue, resolve the tendency for teachers to file for leave when they are assigned to remote locations, reduce the cost for accommodation for hiring outof-town teachers, and increase the promotion of local customs and traditions through the local ethnic teachers in education and administration tasks.

U Myint Oo, MP for Gwa constituency seconded the motion. The Speaker called for the Hluttaw’s deliberation, received approval and announced the motion has been forwarded for discussion. He called for MPs interested in discussing the motion to enroll their names.

Motion urging for industrial sector development

Hluttaw representatives then discussed a motion tabled by Daw Cho Cho, MP for Ottwin constituency. The motion urged the Union Government to review the investment policies surrounding the domestic industrial sector, plans for including domestic products in the global supply chain, and acquiring the necessary finance and technology for pursuing them.

Dr. Daw Thet Thet Khine, MP for Dagon constituency, Tatmadaw Pyithu Hluttaw representative Major Zay Phyo and Dr. U Win Aung, MP for KhinU constituency discussed the motion.

Following the Hluttaw representatives’ discussion, Union Industry Minister U Khin Maung Cho responded to the motion on behalf of three ministries concerned. He said the Ministry of Industry regularly conducts a variety of training courses and awareness campaigns across Myanmar to further the development of its MSMEs, including capacity building initiatives, handing over of production technology, financial management, designing business plans, among others.

He said the Ministry of Planning and Finance has lessened restrictions placed on MSMEs by allowing them to now take out K20 million-CGI loans with an MSME Member Card instead of requiring approval from the Directorate of Industrial Supervision & Inspection, as was the case before. Furthermore, MSMEs applying for a K100 million loan only need to show a document of approval from the aforementioned directorate and no longer need to show documents of approval from the MSME Agency.

The Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations has followed the Union Government’s designated Investment Policy (7-8) and supported the legislation of The Myanmar Investment Law and The Myanmar Companies Law, and authorizing the Myanmar Investment Development Project, said the U Khin Maung Cho. He added that these are contributing to development of the industrial sector.

The Union Minister said the three ministries mentioned are working together to carry out the objectives outlined in the motion tabled by the MP for Ottwin and will collaborate with other ministries and international organizations for further support. He said the motion is suitable for approval. Next, the Pyithu Hluttaw Speaker asked for the motioner’s opinion who replied for their motion to be approved. The Speaker then gathered the deliberation of the assembly and announced that the motion has been approved.

The seventh-day meeting of the Second Pyithu Hluttaw’s 12th regular session will be held tomorrow.—MNA (Translated by Zaw Htet Oo)