Former general and deputy minister for Home Affairs, U Maung Maung Ohn, was appointed Chief Minister of Rakhine State in 2014, replacing U Hla Maung. Although the Arakan National Party won a majority of seats in the Rakhine assembly last November, the National League for Democracy appointed as chief minister, the chair of its state branch, U Nyi Pu, an ethnic Rakhine.
In an interview with Frontier at his Yangon home on March 26, Maung Maung Ohn discussed the political tensions in Rakhine and the likely challenges facing his successor, U Nyi Pu.
What is your opinion about the power-sharing situation in the new Rakhine State government?
The people need to be open-minded and not take sides related to party politics. The issues in Rakhine are very sensitive and differ from those of other states and regions, which can be solved locally. The problem of the Bengalis [the official term for Rohingya Muslims, because the previous government asserted they were illegal immigrants from Bangladesh] involves connecting with the international and the local communities, so it is different.
When they form the Rakhine cabinet, they must consider the Bengali community, the Rakhine community, the international community, the Union government and the Arakan Army. The Rakhine cabinet will need to be flexible to deal with these communities. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
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