How to End Poverty In Myanmar

by Cas

What is the root of poverty here? Is it because we are a developing country? Isn't this country rich in natural resources? Or is the geography lesson about this country that we had to learn in school a lie? These are the questions that a younger me asked myself when I saw poor people working so hard for a meal. 

When asked how to solve poverty, people tend to think of donating to the poor. That's what typical Burmese people do all the time. There's a saying here that "if you don't donate, you won't get rich". Making big donations after the harvest season is what most Burmese people do. Burmese people take pride in their donations. But still, why is poverty here? Is it because of the local government? Or is it because of education?

One cannot see the root of poverty without class consciousness. We may blame poor infrastructure or lack of natural resources when we talk about poverty, but what most of us fail to recognize is wealth distribution and class struggle. We can donate whatever amount we like; we can educate people to be skilled workers; we can improve the infrastructures as much as we like, but without class consciousness and proper wealth distribution, poverty will still exist. As the corporations grow bigger, the income inequality will be more extreme. The US is a very good example of that.

Solving inequality and poverty isn't about solving one sector or by the effort of one person. It is about fixing the whole system. Most of us don't have class consciousness. We are blinded by formal education and religion that we are poor because of our faults. We think we should just work harder to get out of poverty. This prevents us from realizing there is a class of people who profit off our labor. It hides the truth that we are being exploited and prevents us from asking what’s ours. We should enlighten people about class struggles, so population will take back its own share of wealth. We need education without the agenda of the oppressors. Public intellectuals and activists must tell people to ask for what is theirs. People should push for policies that provide fair wealth distribution.

Myanmar’s economy is greatly impacted by both Covid-19 and the 2021 coup. Covid-19 was a huge hit but the impact of the February coup was much greater. The UN estimates the number of those living below the poverty line could double to 46.3% from 24.8%, while urban poverty is expected to triple by 2022 to stand at 37.2%, versus 11.3% in 2019.

We need to address why this is happening. Most of us blame the dictators of the past. But what people from the outside world don’t notice is the US and UN’s economic sanctions on Myanmar from 1961 to 2008. Myanmar was a prosperous country at the start of the 50s, but it all went down the drain with the caretaker government in 1958. The people of Myanmar suffered so much and it wasn’t long ago that we opened up to the world.

Improving this country’s economy is not outside the realm of possibility, but it is very hard to execute the tasks amidst wars, climate changes, and global pandemics. It is up to all of us to reduce inequality and poverty. A team of us cannot change a whole system. It is the combined force of all people in Myanmar to change the whole system and it is our responsibility to do it.