Much has been said about Myanmar
and the recent reform of the country – from the clichéd stereotype of a
developing nation, to the massive potential of the economy with the influx of
international investments, and of course questions as to whether this is at all
sustainable. And while much of the attention stems from foreign interest in the
country’s nascent democracy and its many business opportunities, it is surprising
that the people are as excited by the possibilities as they are cautious about
it.
For first time visitors landing
in Yangon, the sense of optimism (or positivity if you will) is hard to miss. The
people of Yangon are almost always smiling, and everywhere on the streets one
will see billboards, posters, shop names featuring an assortment of words like
“Happy” “Best” “Joy” “Tomorrow”; enough positive words to make grumps feel
grumpier. But grumps you will hardly find here, especially amongst the youths.
There’s a certain attitude about
them that is hard to be put into words – they are extremely friendly, always
ready to lend a helping hand, positive about the future, and also very curious
and excited about foreigners. Despite difficulty in languages, they do not shy
from interacting with foreigners, and this author had no problem asking for
directions, sitting (more accurately, squatting) by the streets and ordering
food, and even asking for beers (very important!).
This helpfulness extends to
enthusiasm towards foreigners. For the youths who could speak (some) English, they
were eager to strike up conversations anywhere, and were also incredibly
welcoming, to the extent of inviting new friends – strangers minutes before -
over to their place for dinner. This didn’t seem to stem just from
friendliness, but also from a want to connect to foreigners. For the youths,
foreigners represent possibilities, the future, and everything that the junta
(the previous military government) is not; and so the act of engaging with foreigners
is akin to connecting to a brand new world without the junta. It is important
to remember that not too long ago, the country was essentially closed to the
international world; with the junta rulers dictating what the citizenry is
exposed to or otherwise.
The sense of positive energy is
not however just found in the aforementioned kindness and warmth, it is most
evident in the attitude towards a potentially better future – the youths are
eager to find better jobs and are enrolling themselves in courses to pick up
new skills, continuing their education, and in particular, learning foreign
languages. The study of languages is booming in Myanmar as the youths hope that
this gives them more opportunities at home, and even abroad. A survey done by
RBi Group, a Singapore based education and training business shows that there
are at least 255 language centers in Yangon – of which 180 offers Japanese, 174
Chinese, 92 Korean, 50 English, and 40 Thai. English in particular, has seen
interest from the growing middle class youths eager to get jobs with foreign
organizations coming into Myanmar.
One can almost feel the spirit
of entrepreneurship sprouting up amongst the youths, particularly those who
have had the fortune of being educated abroad in neighbouring countries like
Singapore, they have started business of all sorts - from rooftop bars,
software companies, bakery chains and more. The recent reforms, such as less
stringent requirements for company registration, import-export licenses have
encouraged young entrepreneurs, and driven a surge in business registrations. Memberships
of Myanmar’s main business group has risen from under 19,000 a few years back,
to almost 30,000
The youths are also initiating
the forming of various associations (Myanmar Youth Professional Club, Myanmar
Youth Entrepreneur Association, the list goes on!) to enable them to connect to
each other, locally and internationally.
Locally educated youths are
equally motivated and active in wanting to be part of this wave. There’s the
feeling that the future is full of possibilities, and for youths living in
rural villages, the reform means that they are able to find jobs in nearby
trading towns, like in Monywar.
The reform impacts more than
just economics, it also seems to foster a stronger sense of identity assertion
amongst the youths of different ethnic groups. There are many ethnic minorities
in Myanmar (the government recognizes 135 distinct ethnic groups), and there’s a
sense that while the youths of the ethnic minorities identify themselves as
people of Myanmar, they also want to assert their identity as being part of
their ethnic group. Khim Nu, one of the ethnic minority youth that this author
spoke to, prefers to call the country Myanmar, as opposed to Burma (a name which
some still stick by today as a philosophical stand against the Junta); and she
prefers to call the citizens as people of Myanmar, rather than Burmese. This is
because the word ‘Burmese’ implies that everyone is a Burman – the largest
ethnic group in the country accounting for around 68% of the population.
This is not to say that there
are tensions fostering, although there are occasional skirmishes happening in
some states; but rather, it is about these ethnic minority youths riding on the
wave of reform to be part of the country’s progress and yet still being true to
their ethnic group.
Beyond assertion of ethnic
identity, there’s a larger sense that the youths are comfortable with
themselves, and this shows in the level of openness in their behavior with
their romantic partners. On the streets of Yangon, you see couples holding
hands while walking, couples playing with each other tenderly in the park,
boyfriends braiding their girlfriends’ hair in Mandalay; and even this author
getting picked up! For sure this isn’t a culture where people are kissing
passionately on the streets, but there certainly isn’t the tentativeness in the
behavior of the youths.
Clearly the reform has created
an immense sense of possibility amongst the youths, but it is naïve to think
that this optimism is unbridled. The entire sense of forward momentum, the
optimism, seems to be tempered with an understanding of the fragility of the
reform. There seems to be a keen awareness that all this change can disappear
in a matter of days, as it did in 1990s when the country held its first free
elections. Then, the NLD (National League for Democracy), the party of Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi won 392 out of 489 seats, the junta refused to cede power and
continue to rule until 2011. Despite the
fact that many were not born then, the youths are ingrained with the knowledge
that the political wind changes quickly, and can turn the country on its head
yet again.
They are also sanguine about the
fact that the road ahead for many of them is not going to be an easy one,
despite the apparent progress. Many youths lack the skills, training, and jobs
that will help them reap tangible benefits from the reform, and this makes
youth unemployment a big concern – estimates vary widely, from 4-5% by the US
CIA, to about 37% from a recent parliamentary figure.
And so it feels that many youths
have adopted a somewhat pragmatic perspective about the country’s reform. They appreciate
the opportunities it brings them, and will support any government that will
help businesses and the economy – it is not about ideologies. While many
appreciate and admire Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, there’s a sense that they are not
actively supporting her, and don’t necessarily see her as the one to bring
their country forward. Compared to the older generation who place ideology, and
thus Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as the savior for the country’s troubles, the youths
focus on the actual steps that get them what they want. Ideology is good to
have, but can be put aside if its tenets do not directly contribute to the
achievement of their goals.
The youths of today’s Myanmar
remind us that there is much to look forward to here, and even though they are
not blindly optimistic about the future, the optimism is somewhat infectious. It
is a joy to see the future of Myanmar written on the faces of the youths today,
whose hands will build the future of the country.