Arakan News Agency
The Myanmar government under President Thein Sein is reintroducing the post of permanent secretary, bringing back the old position for the highest civil servant in a ministry, The Irrawaddy reported, quoting a ruling party parliamentarian.
Hla Swe, a Union Solidarity and Development Party Upper House lawmaker, said the government this month appointed 36 officials to the position of permanent secretary, adding that most of those appointed were previously director generals in their respective ministries.
The permanent secretary is the most senior civil servant position and serves directly under the minister, which is a political appointment. Burma’s 1950s government of Prime Minister U Nu employed permanent secretaries, but Gen Ne Win abolished the post after staging a military coup in 1962.
The permanent secretary will receive a 700,000 kyats monthly salary (about US$700), up from the director general’s salary of 500,000 kyats, according to Hla Swe.
The lawmaker said Parliament had not objected to reintroducing the executive branch positions, even though they are more powerful than the post of director general.
Nyan Win, a spokesperson of the National League for Democracy, said the opposition party had no problem with bringing back the post.
Some political analysts, however, believe the government might have reintroduced the permanent secretary post in order to place old regime-era officials loyal to the USDP and the army in more powerful civil servant positions.
Source : Thai PBS
