Myanmar in danger of being overwhelmed by donor's generosity
Hari Kumar says the sudden influx of foreign funds and assistance to Myanmar, following decades of junta rule, threatens to overwhelm the nation and actually damage society
As Myanmar marks two years of its historic journey towards normalcy under President Thein Sein, the country is facing an array of challenges that accompany a transition like this.
The country's pariah status faded in the glow of the applause received as it embarked on reforms after decades of junta rule.
There soon followed a series of visits by global leaders, headlined by Barack Obama, the first US president to visit the country.
Myanmar's government has continued to show its resolve to push forward with reforms and the global community has been pumping in aid, both financial and technological, to get the country back on its feet.
Those at the heart of these generous offers could well have an eye on the country's vast resources, especially natural gas and cheap labour, but the aid has been flowing in steadily, nevertheless.
Almost every major trade and travel ban that was imposed on the country has been lifted and the country is now teeming with non-governmental organisations and businessmen of all shades trying to gain a foothold.
But this sudden influx of people and funds is laying bare the gross inadequacies in the country. Having missed out on the development that other Asian economies have enjoyed, and with the junta almost strangling the education sector after the student's revolt in 1988, the country now faces a severe shortage of skilled manpower.