O'Neal-Freemans in Malaysia: 11/01/2011

Monday, November 28, 2011

Burma: World Vision Myanmar Interview: Change and Continued Obstacles with the new Myanmar “Civilian” Government

http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/sponsor/sponsor-myanmar

June 15, 2011

Little did the director of World Vision-Myanmar know when he stole a weekend away with his son for some much-needed RandR , that I would do an impromptu interview of him at the Inle Resort over dinner, while we both juggled our tired kids and shoptalk. I was pleasantly surprised to be seated at the table next to him at dinner since I had been dying to speak to someone at World Vision Myanmar but communication is difficult with NGO's in Myanmar.

I wanted to speak with a World Vision rep because it is a Christian charity that has given very strong support of much-needed programs in health, education, and social welfare. I have been very impressed by the work World Vision has done in Malaysia, and it, in fact, was the organization that helped me set establish real working relationships with local Malaysian NGO’s working with refugees.

In November, 2010, the Myanmar military junta changed into a civilian government. At the time, Ken and I laughed at what seemed a sham to procure international favor but keep their fisthold of power. The World Vision Myanmar director confirmed, in our chat, what has surprised us again and again here, that many skeptics here think that actual small, substantial steps towards change is happened.

The World Vision director said that there hasn’t been a real change in the amount spent on education or NGO access to education – only 4.5% of the economy is spent on education, with less than 2% on health, but over 25% on the military. To me, it’s more than 25% for the military due to kickbacks and military-profiting businesses masquerading as private businesses, like hotels. There has, however, been change in releasing the military grip a bit on local less contested ethnic areas, like the Shan state and more. The new government is allowing local states to have some self-governance. That is a real step since the military has been forcing unity and threatened by self-governance, flouting an agreement made by the opposition leader Aung Sun Su Kye’s General father at the end of British rule for the states to have the option of self-governance if they weren’t happy with the post-colonial national government.

There also has been some movement towards a bit more transparency and partnership of some of the government departments with World Vision. The government social welfare department head invited the World Vision director to travel with him around Myanmar, visiting some government sites along with some World Vision programs. This limited awareness of each other’s work allows the government to appreciate and maybe be more willing to open doors to World Vision’s, along with other NGO’s, work in Myanmar.

World Vision has over 70 health providers and early education, free secondary education, and vocational training programs around Myanmar. The government is unwilling to provide World Vision access to its schools. Officially, they would not let my guides take me to the 5 schools I’ve seen. Unofficially, we can get local school permission for the elementary but not the middle and high schools. It’s also easier to get individual access to government elementary schools in the rural areas, with less government monitoring.

World Vision has not been given a “Memorandum of Understanding” (MOU) giving World Vision access to government schools from the government. UNICEF has received such a MOU, though, for work in the government elementary schools only.

I asked the World Vision director what he thought about socialization of fear with the goal of unquestioning respect in the schools. He agreed about there being little tolerance for critical thinking, with an emphasis on repetition and chanting in the government school system. He did not agree with the Burma Refugee Teachers that Burmese kids are particularly “stubborn,” an argument used to justify the continued use of the cane as corporal punishment in the refugee schools in KL. And, he thought that Myanmar students were particularly passive and docile – he doubts that corporal punishment is excessive in Myanmar. This is the opposite of one of our guides' opinion that Myanmar school teachers start with serious corporal punishment early on to reinforce respect for teachers; perhaps, corporal punishment hasn’t always been necessary to achieve that goal. Still, if the government prohibited excessive beatings by teachers of the students a couple years ago, then it must have been an issue or problem somewhere.

The director did agree that it was likely that corporal punishment was used in the Buddhist Free Schools, by the nuns and monks.

An important take-home message is that docility and passivity in learning is reinforced by the education system in Myanmar. My impression is that the government limits NGO and foreigner access to its education system to preserve their teaching style and use the schools for indoctrination of the children into the belief in a perfect Myanmar union via propaganda. And, I still suspect that, especially in the rebellious minority states, the government uses schools to keep the ethnic groups docile and down.

It’s unfortunate that there is not more transparency and openness in Myanmar in education because it is ripe for educational exchanges. Pre-military, there used to be more educational exchanges with the U.S., as there currently are now in Malaysia, via Fulbright or Humphrey exchange programs. Now, there are almost none. Myanmar is ripe for getting Fulbright English Teaching Associates (ETA’s) since the government schools teach English, as a second language, from an early age.

Hopefully the new civilian government will be more open to allowing domestic and international NGO's to help its impoverished citizens and their education. The U.S. state department needs to turn the heat up on both Burma and neighboring countries of Thailand and Malaysia to give access to a real education for Burmese ethnic minority students.

Golden Rock, Burma

The flooded path on the way to the Buddhist temple up in the caves, on the road from Hpa-An to the Golden Rock. If you'd like to see a drive-by view of a typical road-side Burmese village, click HERE. To see this flooded path and sulfur ponds at the base of the cave Buddhist temple, click HERE.

Buddhist monastery and colorful temple, surrounded by hot, sulfur water that locals swim in, with separate swim sections for women versus men

Spitting image

The many "nats" at the temple, or local figures who are also worshiped, in addition to Buddha

Buddha and his followers

Our reluctant monk guide up to the Buddhist temple hidden in a cave, who was really recruited as our body guard against the very aggressive monkeys. We were the only visitors there on a VERY rainy, flooded monsoon day.

Hard to see, but the elder monk is sneaking a puff off a cigar, not expecting any tourist visitors.

Ah, exhale that hidden smoke.

The Buddhas on the edge of the cave.

It is probably hard to see but this monk's lips are bright red because he is a complete betel nut addict, which monks don't seem to be immune to in Burma

Riding up the dangerous, twisting route to the mountaintop holding the precariously balanced Golden Rock - a mecca many Burmese, and Thai, travel to every year. It's also a major tourist trap. They used to let anyone drive up and use a more typical Burmese truck with a cheap Chinese engine. But, then, a few trucks were unable to navigate the turns and use their brakes on the steep hills, leading them to barrel over the side of the mountain and crash, killing many. Now, the government invested in a powerful engine and brakes for their trucks. We rode up with the "people," a rare moment of taking public transportation with locals. Usually, we rode in a relatively posh air-conditioned van with only our family, a guide, and a driver. The only way up is in this truck. And, the truck company brokers know how to squeeze tourists for money. They made the truck wait for hours, with us just sitting in it. The Burmese sat incredibly patiently compared to New Yorkers. While we waited, the Burmese truck brokers pushed our guide to buy out the remaining seats at extortionist prices. The guide bought some but refused to buy them all. Finally, the truck started moving, but not before a few wealthy Chinese tourists who'd bought out the covered seats in the cab were shuttled into the cab. Then, the truck started up the mountain, but not before a massive monsoon downpour came down on us. Abraham sobbed and huddled underneath our paltry rain ponchos. A local woman next to me used her tarp to cover our bags. I don't think we've ever felt so beaten to a pulp by rain before. Needless to say, on the way back down, we surrendered to the blackmail system and paid for most of us to sit up front in the cab. I sat in the back, more prepared for the onslaught of the rain, feeling particularly noble until I looked at the locals sitting next to me, barely covered, without, God Forbid, Patagonia waterproof protection, with calm faces covered in rain.

The truck stopped halfway up. Then we had to walk the rest of the way. Our guide smoked too much to walk and succumbed to the guerney carriers who followed him like vultures, knowing he'd give in. We let a couple of our kids get carried up like royalty too. Click HERE to see them ride like kings.

An elder Buddhist monk who asked me to sponsor him to come to the U.S.

And, he read my palm, which is seen as a cheap trick among Buddhists, little respected. I didn't care. I was fascinated and spoke with him, with great respect. It turns out he came to my hotel to see if I could feed him tea and have more conversation later that nite. Our guide intervened and told him we were already asleep, which was probably true. But, I think he was trying to protect us from a monk he saw as a charletan. I was willingly charmed. Click HERE for a video briefly capturing this memorable moment for me.