Suu Kyi’s inclusion in the list of 18 ministers submitted to parliament on Tuesday – she is the only woman on that list – would appear to confirm that she will indeed take up a cabinet post.
Advertisement
MPs voted to approve the list of 21 ministries and 18 ministers at in parliament on March 21.
Expectations are high among Myanmar’s 51.5 million people that Ms Suu Kyi will be able to resolve the country’s many problems, from the need for faster economic growth to ethnic tensions.
The pro-democracy leader led the NLD to a stunning victory in historic November elections following a decades-long struggle against military rule.
She is barred from the presidency by the junta-drafted constitution because her late husband, British academic Michael Aris, and two sons are British.
Serving as foreign minister would allow Suu Kyi to formally meet foreign diplomats and represent Myanmar overseas, while also guaranteeing a seat on the National Defence and Security Council, an important presidential advisory group dominated by the still-powerful military.
Taking a role in the cabinet puts an end to speculation that she would opt for a position akin to India’s Sonia Gandhi, who wielded huge influence over her Congress party’s administration despite having no official government role. Her domination of government underlines the difficulty she has experienced in delegating power within her party. “She will have to do a lot of global relations and overseas trips, and she won’t have the time to exercise control over the government”.
She has pledged to circumvent the ban by running the country through a proxy president, and last week the parliament nominated Suu Kyi’s confidant, Htin Kyaw, for the top job.
The 11-member NDSC is formed of the president, two vice presidents, two parliament speakers, the Foreign Minister, the military chief, the deputy army chief and three key ministers appointed by the army chief.
Myanmar was governed by successive military juntas from 1962 and by a military-backed, nominally civilian government from 2011.
Advertisement
“I believe the NLD proposed my name as the minister because they believe in me”, said senior USDP politician Thein Swe, who was nominated for labor minister.
