Myanmar’s Suu Kyi drops two of four ministerial posts as new President Htin Kyaw nominates more to serve Cabinet
Myanmar’s democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, who was appointed to four Cabinet posts last week, is likely to have two less concurrent positions soon as the country’s new President Htin Kyaw on Monday nominated two more people to serve on the Cabinet.
Htin Kyaw submitted to the Union Parliament a proposal seeking approval of the appointments of Myo Thein Gyi as education minister and Pe Zin Tun as electric power and energy minister, according to Speaker Mahn Win Khine Than.
Suu Kyi, head of the National League for Democracy who herself cannot become president of Myanmar due to constitutional constraints, currently holds these two portfolios as well as those of foreign minister and minister of the president’s office.
She is set to continue to serve in the latter two positions, according to the ruling NLD.
Suu Kyi is also expected to take up the new post of state adviser, whose establishment was proposed to the lower house on Monday. The bill aimed at setting up this position cleared the upper house last Friday.
Parliament is scheduled to decide on the new proposed Cabinet appointments on Tuesday.
Myo Thein Gyi was a rector of West Yangon University, while Pe Zin Tun was an official at the Energy Ministry.
The proposed changes to Myanmar’s Cabinet came less than a week after Htin Kyaw, a trusted aide of Suu Kyi, was sworn in last Wednesday as president along with the new Cabinet members, ushering in the country’s first democratically elected government in more than 50 years.
Win Htein, senior member and spokesman of the NLD, said the appointments of separate individuals for the education minister and the electric power and energy minister posts had been planned from earlier but the actual nominations were delayed due to procedural factors.
Htin Kyaw also sought approval of the Union Parliament for his nominations of Tun Tun Oo as attorney general and Maw Than as auditor general.
