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Myanmar's Union Parliament is due to approve nominees of ministers Tuesday submitted by President-elect U Htin Kyaw to run 21 new government ministries.
According to U Htin Kyaw's proposal plan of reforming the cabinet, 18 ministers will be named for the 21 ministries and the number was approved by the parliament on Monday by a vote of 611-3 with 21 abstentions.
President-elect U Htin Kyaw made his first public appearance by delivering a speech in the Union Parliament, clarifying the plan of forming a new government with 21 ministries and 18 ministers, slashed from 36 and 32 respectively in the outgoing government.
U Htin Kyaw said his cabinet aims to prioritize quality over quantity, build a corruption-free government, focus on national interest, save public money and form an efficient and consolidated government.
Cutting some ministries could save state budget of over 5 billion kyats (about 5 million U.S. dollars) over the next five years which can be used as fund for needy sectors such as education, healthcare and rural development, he said, adding that staying on a thrifty budget is imperative for lifting Myanmar out of the list of Least Developed Countries.
He told government employees not to worry about their jobs, saying they will continue to be taken care of under public servants law.
U Htin Kyaw submitted to the Union Parliament his proposal of government reformation last Thursday, in which some of the ministries are to be combined into one, such as the merging of seven ministries at the President's Office to one and merging of closely identical ministries to one.
Of the designated 21 ministries, three ministries of Defense, Border Affairs and Home Affairs are to be run by the military with related ministers to be named by it under the constitution.
One new ministry, which is the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs, is added to among the 21 ministries, indicating that the new government attaches importance to ethnic affairs which are to be separately dealt with to boost national reconciliation.
According to spokesperson of the ruling NLD Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, Aung San Suu Kyi, in addition to the post of chairperson of the party, is likely to take up some ministerial posts to hold in check the government in her capacity of chairperson of the ruling party.
Last week, Myanmar's Parliamentary House of Representatives (Lower House) has appointed Aung San Suu Kyi as chairperson of the Joint Coordination Committee for Development of Parliamentary Affairs.
Meanwhile, some MPs of the former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) are circulated as having the chance to be nominated by the president-elect to take up some ministerial posts along with outsider experts, while NLD MPs will stand the lesser percent in the cabinet.
U Htin Kyaw of the NLD, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won the presidential race last week with the highest number of votes of 360 against two other presidential candidates -- U Myint Swe (213 votes) from the military and U Henry Van Htio (previously spelled as U Henry Van Htee Yu) (79 votes) from the same party, becoming the country's new president for the next five-year term.
The new government is initially set to be sworn in on March 30 at the parliament while the handover of the duties of head of state is due to be carried out at the Presidential Palace.
The Union Parliament comprising two Houses is shared by NLD with 390 MPs or 59.36 percent, USDP with 41 or 6.24 percent, other parties and individuals with 60 or 9.132 percent and the military representatives with 166 or 25.26 percent. Enditem
