Seeing the future of Myanmar on the faces of its youths

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.

Sense of optimism!

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.

Driven and wanting to achieve more

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.

Sense of identity

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.

But... it is not blindly optimistic

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.