The first term for the National League for Democracy (NLD), which succeeded after President Thein Sein on March 31st, 2016, will expire on March 31st of 2021. 

The NLD has left only nine months to serve the country.

During the nine months, NLD will also be busy launching election campaigns, taking even less time away from serving the public. So, ongoing projects and new projects may be delayed or those projects may be pushed back until the time a new government takes office. If a new government will not agree to those projects being approved at the time of NLD administration, those projects may be cancelled.

The Yangon Region Government Committee had pledged to implement the housing projects for squatters. At present, hopes of reaching the pledge for over 400,000 squatters seem to be faded away.

Does the new government which will take its office on April 1st of 2021 implement or cancel the dream of Yangon Region Government Committee led by Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein?

The people from least developed states and regions came into the Yangon to hopefully improve their livelihoods. But, they can’t afford to rent houses and land because rental fees and land plots in Yangon are very expensive. The government can’t control the high rate of rental fees of houses and land plots. Thus the migrants have to live beside the road. 

However, those squatters had voted for the NLD in the last election and they elected the government led by the NLD.

Meanwhile, public leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi whose present post is the State Counsellor accompanied with famous Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie had encouraged the family members of the squatters who lived in No.3 Industrial Zone in Hlaingthaya Township, Yangon Region, in which  mostly squatters people live.

When Yangon Region Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein took office, he pledged to settle all squatter issues. He will build more apartments for the squatters. Due to his pledges, the squatters dreamt about an accommodation project since the beginning of 2016.

However, it was just a dream because the incumbent government has only nine months to serve. For the squatters, there is still a distinct lack of hope for owning any property.

Yangon Region Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein said that he was striving to settle the squatter problems aiming not to become a “Bulldozer” government. The government must take responsibility for all squatters.

However, his pledge failed. On the other hand, the Yangon Region already faced migrant problems. The government will implement the low-cost housing project in Yangon but the plan actually wasn’t implemented.

 MP Kyaw Zeya from No.2 Constituency in Dagon Township, Yangon Region, asked a question about the squatter issue at the Yangon Region Parliament meeting held on November 16th, 2016.

On Behalf of the Yangon Region Government Committee, Col. Tin Aung Tun, Security and Border Affairs Minister from Yangon Region replied to the query that there were two kinds of squatters. One was a commercial squatter and another one was a real squatter. The Yangon Region Government Committee would collect the list of real squatters. They would give first priority for the real squatter and would support them. However, the commercial squatters (which means pretend to be poor and live as squatters but wait to gain benefit when the government provides assistance to real squatters,) would be taken actions in accordance with the law.

Roughly, there are about 116,975 squatter households comprising 441,646 family members in four districts of Yangon Region.

For over 500,000 squatters and low-income people, the Yangon Region Government already built 2,208 apartments. Moreover, plans were underway to build 8,000 flats in four Townships including Yuzana. And then, a new ward will be established in Hlaingthaya Township. For the squatters, the hope of reaching an owning house seems to be fading away. 

Actually, the Urban and Housing Development Department under the Ministry of Construction had built 8,000 apartments. But, the Yangon Region Government received only a small number of rooms out of 8,000 apartments.

Public knows nothing about Htan Tabin field no.314 and no.534 which have 5000 plots of land and proposed land acres of 10,000 from Hlaing Thayryar to Twantay. At the same time, the Yangon Region Government made no explanation on what projects are in which stages. What made it worse is there are nearly 200,000 squatters households according to MPS. 

Yangon Region Parliament has granted Ks.64 billion to Yangon Region Government for the housing projects for squatters. There are five objectives for asking Ks.64 billion from Yangon Region Parliament. The Yangon Region Government has invested Ks.54 billion to Yangon Metropolitan Development Co. and Ks.10 billion to New Yangon Development Co. These two companies are working on housing projects but people don’t know they are working on squatters’ housing projects.

When explaining NLD’s four years’ implementation, Phyo Min Thein said about May May’s Myitta project.

The main challenge is the squatters issue and a project entitled “May May’s Myitta” has been drawn to accommodate squatters. 

Although there are no vivid explanations on squatters projects, some of the government members are taking a large acres of land with the prices determined by the government.

For the president and state counselor, 400 square feet of land plots are given and for the ministers, 300 square feet of land plots are given according to spokesman of the president office Zaw Htay.

It is very ugly to see that squatters have to place to live and the government couldn’t keep his promise but they are trying to get lands with very reasonable prices.

“Please don’t vote for a party that cannot keep promises,” is said by Aung San Suu Kyi and is well-known.

MP Aung Hlaing Win from Mingalardon Township constituency that regularly takes photos of houses of low-income families in his constituency and said that not only high ranking government ministers but also most of the public desire to live in modest houses. Ministers and cabinet members must understand the word “together with the people” by looking at these photos. It is not strange if houses are bought with their sincere income. But, using the responsibilities of their duties and buying land plots with very reasonable prices shouldn’t be done. Other MPs should take photos in their constituencies and post on social media to shame those that are getting free land in Nay Pyi Taw.

In Myanmar, there are still many vacant and virgin land as well as government owned lands. But, most of them are owned by the military or owned by cronies or the government couldn’t solve land confiscated issues. During NLD’s four years administration, more than 15 million acres of lands was reclaimed by the central management committee of virgin and vacant land. But, there are hundreds and thousands of acres of land which can be seized again. Those lands reclaimed by the NLD administration, should belong to the people. But now, it is looking like that these lands are earmarked only for the high ranking government members.

If NLD cannot keep its pledges on squatters while members of the government are trying to own land, either for free or with cheap prices, it affects the image of NLD. We have to wait and see in the remaining nine months of NLD whether they can fulfill their pledge on squatters.