N36   Corruption

Many people know corruption is bad , but at present many countries cannot be free from it though many are fighting to eliminate it. Most of the corrupt states are those which are underdeveloped. Because they are underdeveloped the countries are poor, with people who doesn’t have anything wanting to have something , the better people wanting to get rich, and the well off people wanting to get richer. Many cannot quench their thirst for wealth.

 So people uses their power , their rights to have access to money. eg: A high official uses his power to acquire a big sum of money through a licence  (which  ordinary people cannot get ) But to get this licence he has to bribe higher officials and thus make them to become partners sharing the benefits from the licence. Not only big officials are corrupt but also people in different positions also uses the rights they have to get money. eg: A gatekeeper in a hospital won’t allow a guest to enter after a few minutes of visiting time. But one can enter if he or she gives him a few hundred kyats. Also by giving this amount of money one can get the priority of seeing a doctor first when visiting a clinic.

Our country is included in the worst corrupted countries. With bribery everything unlawful can be done in our country. With the commencing of a new democratic government the president promised the people that he will lead a clean government with good governance. but until today corruption is still existing.

Because of corruption the lives of the people are hard  and inconvenient. I think the outcome is that the  country does not get the advantages it deserves from its resources which are badly needed for it’s development.

To eliminate corruption the people who have powers and rights should do their works in a straight and honest way, and also the people should not give bribes  in exchange for something or services they need.

But it is more hard to do than say. I will relate my experience as an example. Only a few days ago I need internet connection for my new phone. If I go and apply for it at the post officeI will have to pay 10000 kyats legally and it will take 3 days to get my phone installed.  Some said that if I pay 5000 kyats extra I can have it done within the day. So as I cannot wait for 3 days I went to the post office and paid 15000 kyats . They said I can use the internet at 6 pm. So the 5000 kyats (whether it be bribery or pocket money for the office people  )  made me get what I want without having to wait for days.

So , in this case who is the culprit, the briber or the receiver …..that corruption cannot come to it’s end.

N35 - I Would Like My Town to be Clean and Green (Part 2)

 About green....

Taunggyi has adequate rainfall trees and plants grow well. It had been green many years ago with cherry trees, oaks, pines, crab trees and many other kinds of trees. But during these few decades the town has grown too big and overpopulated. So many trees had to be cut down to make place for houses. And also due to the ignorance of people many trees were cut down. One friend of mine who had gone to live abroad, when he came back for a visit after many years commented that the mountain on the east of the town had become sparse and thin with trees whereas it had been green and thickly covered with trees before he had gone. Also due to carelessness of people fire broke out every year on the mountain and many trees were destroyed.

We are enjoying many advantages given to us by mother nature including trees and plants. We will not be able to live if there are no trees left and our mountains become taung gadone (bald mountain ) like many other hills and mountains that had become like that.

I remember there is an omen that Taunggyi will someday be destroyed due to scarcity of water. Many brick and concrete buildings have sprouted all over the town and home owners did not leave pieces of ground in their yards, but covered all with concrete and plaster. So it is impossible for the rainwater to seep into the ground to refill the underground water resources that people are using abundantly by means of artesian wells. If we continue to extract water in this way we cannot say that the ill omen will not become true though I hope it will not happen.

Even Singapore where the land is very scarce is green with trees and parks which are well cared for. So why shouldn't we take care of our town to be green and everlasting? Everybody has his or her own duty to do so and are needing some guidance from the upper part of the administration and from some people or society who are interested in making the environment green.

N 34 - I would like my town to be Clean and Green

Though I was not born in Taunggyi I had lived in this town most of my life. So it can be said that Taunggyi  is my town. It is a town which many local people like to visit.  Anyone who had visited the town would praised it saying that it is very clean, the vegetables fresh, and the weather very nice. I even heard once that it will be designated the ASEAN city of Myanmar.

Those people who said like that about Taunggyi don’t know the town well. They saw it only superficially as they passed along the Main Road which is well kept by the Municiple. For a town to be called perfect (I don’t expect  it to reach that degree) it should have certain characteristics. It should be clean, (waste management should be effective). The roads should be good, water and power supply efficient, has a proper public transportation system, and public places like markets, playground, parks should be situated according to people’s needs.

My aim is to write about clean and green as  is the title of my blog but first let me say something about the roads. If you look at Taunggyi the many and narrow roads are not well kept. For example, the road to the cemetery which many cars are using everyday is a winding road that passes around hillsides and it is narrow that in some places cars have to wait for other cars which come from the opposite direction to pass and then continue their way. Many other roads are also like this.

Waste management is ineffective. There is no regular daily waste collection system. I think there is only one concrete waste bin for one whole ward. Because my house and its surroundings have to go far away to dispose our rubbish. And waste disposal is allowed only between 6pm and 6am. I want to compare our system with that of a foreign big city. In that city garbage bins (recyclable and unrecyclable) are everywhere and anybody can dispose  garbage  at any time. The waste gathering car comes only once a week but it does not cause any problem. In my town because the waste bin is far away people throw their waste where they should not be thrown and thus make the environment dirty. People should also take care of their houses and its surroundings and to make them do so discipline and law should also be enforced on the people. Other ways and means should also be found to make our town to become a clean town.

To be conintued ....