Daily MP life: everything you ever wanted to know

A file photo of a special express bus carrying Burmese lawmakers at a checkpoint on a road leading to the Union Parliament in the capital of Naypyidaw in January 2011. Photo : AFP

Mizzima reporter Ko Wild interviewed two members of Parliament, one in the Upper House and one in the Lower House, about what the daily life of a lawmaker in Naypyidaw is like. They asked to remain anonymous in order to speak freely.




Question: What is it like working in the huge Parliament complex?


Answer: The buildings of the Lower House and Upper House are adjoining buildings. The Lower House has a separate dining hall. Beside the dining hall, there are two vice-presidential palaces. In the rear area, there are 20 buildings for parliamentary affairs committees. There are a total of 31 buildings including the presidential palace in other parliament premises. A boundary wall encloses the entire parliamentary premise. There are two main gates. There is also a moat. There are several boundary walls inside the premises, and we are not allowed inside these places. The Speaker warned us on the first day of Parliament not to go to these unauthorized areas.


Q: How do you travel around in Naypyidaw?


A: I live at a guest house provided by the City Development Committee (municipal). It usually takes about 20 minutes to reach Parliament on an air-conditioned express bus. The bus stops at the outer gate, and we have to walk a short way. Then we have to take a minibus at another gate to reach our Parliament building.


Q: What kind of security check do you go through?


A: The parliament staff checks us with mine detectors when we enter the premises. We must show our ID number. The staff won’t allow anyone inside who doesn’t have an ID.

Police stand guard at a checkpoint leading into a compound of official hostels provided to Burmese members of Parliament in the capital of Naypyidaw. Photo : AFP

Q: What are the living conditions inside the hostels that house members of Parliament?


A: The hostels are allocated by party affiliation. If a party won only one or two seats, the MPs have to stay with MPs from another party. Similarly, independent MPs have to stay with other MPs. There are 29 single-story hostels numbered from 1 to 29, eight rooms in each hostel. There is a corridor in each hostel and there are glass windows and wooden doors. Each room is 20’x25’ and equipped with one ceiling fan and two fluorescent lamps with a bathroom and water closet attached. The bathroom is about 9’x9’ and has one basin, one mirror and a 2-foot high plastic bucket. There is one shower in it, but it is unusable. We cannot use the water available in the hostel for even washing your face. We have to use bottled water for that purpose.


Q: Are there recreation facilities?


A: If you don’t have a radio, you will be out of contact with the outside world. There are TV sets in offices, and we can watch there. But most of us stay in our own rooms and barely go out to see TV. The allowances given to holders of public offices at the grades of Union level and regional and state level are more generous that we get at the MP level.


Q: Are there any special security arrangements for MPs?


A: They do not provide round the clock security for us. But there are policemen deployed at the hostel gate. The policemen check us when we go out and come in to our hostels. There are no security guards at the hostels. Media persons cannot come to us without being checked. A guest has to wait at the gate office after signing a registration book. We have to meet with our guests at the gate. Our hostels are surrounded by a boundary wall, and there is only one main gate on this wall.


Q: What other regulations govern MPs?


A: We have to notify officials one day in advance if we want to hold a reception or a meeting in a government room. Then they will arrange a room or meeting hall for us. But many of us avoid this, thinking that people can overhear our discussions. So we talk to each other at either teashops or while strolling around. Sometimes we talk in our rooms.


Q: You receive a living stipend from the government, correct?


A: The military regime issues 10,000 kyat (US$ 11.50) as a daily allowance to MPs who attend Parliament sessions. Each day, MPs usually have to spend at least 5,000 kyat (US$ 5.70) for meals, 2,000 kyat (US$ 2.30) for lodging and 3,000 kyat (US$ 3.45) for miscellaneous expenses including transportation.


Q: What is the food like in the area?


A: Most meals cost around 2,000 kyat (US$ 2.30) in the parliamentary dining halls, and we get coupons to buy food at a buffet lunch or dinner. Otherwise, we eat on our own at various local places.


Source:http://mizzima.com/edop/interview/4948-daily-mp-life-everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know.html