By SU MYAT MON | FRONTIER
YANGON — A leading lawmaker has accused the Yangon Region government of insulting the local assembly, after mayor U Maung Maung Soe again dodged a question on the municipal administration’s finances.
Daw Sandar Min, who leads the parliament’s finance and economics committee, made the comments on November 9 after the mayor said he needed more time to check on a question sent by her.
The question was in relation to construction company Han Myint Maw, which Yangon City Development Committee worked with in 2013-14 to build a housing project in the Sinmalike area of Kamaryut Township. Citing a report from the regional auditor-general, Sandar Min asked whether the company had repaid money left over from the project to the government.
Maung Maung Soe told the assembly on November 9 that he had only received the question the previous day and would need more time to check with the auditor-general.
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However, Sandar Min told reporters afterward that she had sent the question to the government back in August via the Yangon Hluttaw speaker, and that lawmakers had been expecting a response for more than a month.
She accused the regional government of attempting a cover up, suggesting that the government sent the mayor rather than the auditor-general because it wanted to hide the truth.
“It doesn’t matter who comes and answers the question, but what U Maung Maung Soe said – about not being able to answer because he only got the question yesterday – isn’t reasonable. They’re playing a trick on us,” she told reporters
“Until YCDC has a specific answer, then don’t come to parliament. Don’t give us unclear information – it’s an insult to members of parliament.
“If U Maung Maung Soe does not have an answer for this question, he can postpone his response until next week – everyone knows there is another parliament session then.”
