CNI News
13 June 2025
Projects to be implemented in Myanmar should not be suspended whenever there is a change of government, the National Democratic Force Party(NDF) Vice Chairman U Htet Aung Kyaw told CNI News.
Myanmar governments have been known to cancel, suspend, and renegotiate projects that were previously implemented by previous governments in developing international cooperation projects. Foreign investors disliked this move, and a lack of trust developed, leading them to avoid investing.
U Htet Aung Kyaw said that a government would be held accountable for the projects implemented by the previous government, and that the previous government could not be said to be unrelated to the next government.
While seeing the Myitsone Project
“Normally, a government is responsible for everything that successive governments have done. You can’t say that the previous government borrowed money and the next government doesn’t have anything to do with it. This is a matter of international affairs. The two governments will have to coordinate their work even though they get on well with each other, but the next government will have to be responsible for what the previous government did. This is a matter of common sense.
In Myanmar, during the reign of Senior General Than Shwe, an agreement was signed with the Chinese government to jointly implement the Myitsone Project to distribute electricity to Myanmar.
Then, when the government of U Thein Sein, who was elected in the 2010 general election, came to power, protests erupted demanding the Myitsone project be halted, and an order was issued to temporarily halt the Myitsone project.”he said.
Similarly, when Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's government came to power after the 2015 general election, the Myitsone project was not able to resume, and when the current Myanmar military overthrew the NLD government and declared a state of emergency, the Myitsone project was not able to resume and was suspended.
While seeing the Thilwa Project
Regarding projects, whether they are projects that have been linked to governments and signed MoUs or projects that have been implemented in the country, if they are not completed, the next government will review them to see if they are in line with the policies they have set, businessman U Aung Pyae Sone told CNI News.
"We need to work on principles, not on members of the previous government, and if we put aside our egos and only look after the good of the country, there is no reason for such projects to stop. We don't need to do the projects that the previous government did during our time. If we prioritize our ego, thinking that if we continue it, it will earn the previous government a good name, the country will suffer more than it will benefit. There will be an election soon. If a government comes to power, it needs to forget the idea that it might not continue what the previous military government, the previous NLD government, and the previous government did. We need to go with the idea that we will make this better. Otherwise, if we think that what the previous government did doesn't need to be done by the next government, and we only get such leaders, we the people will be in trouble." he said.
In Myanmar, foreign investment and projects often stop during periods of government change following elections, and during periods when the military overthrows an elected government and takes power.
