Just over four years ago, in August 2013, Helani Galpaya and I came to Nay Pyi Taw to deliver the regulatory module of a multi-day course offered by a number of different organizations, including the GSMA and the World Bank. For me, it the second visit to Myanmar and the first to Nay Pyi Taw, the mysterious new capital of an enigmatic state. For Helani, it was the first visit the country.
It is customary in these kinds of events for the “dignitary” who inaugurates the event to make his speech and then leave. Deputy Minister U Thaung Tin was different. I listened to his speech, assumed he would leave and got started on my introduction to the day’s program. Unbeknownst to me, he stayed and listened. That laid the foundation for a very productive relationship between the government and LIRNEasia.
Government has changed and new people are sitting in the old chairs. But the relationship continues, directly with LIRNEasia to some extent, but mostly, and as intended with, our partner MIDO and through them with us.
It is in this context that I felt confident to write to the current Deputy Minister, U Kyaw Moe, offering to organize a course that would permit the sharing of regulatory experience between the senior staff of the de jure regulatory entity (who will become the core staff of the about to be created Myanmar Communication Regulatory Commission) and five former regulators who were coming to Yangon for Communication Policy Research south 2017 conference.
Our offer was accepted, and close to 30 officials of the Post and Telecom Department of the Ministry of Transport and Communication have registered for the course that will commence at 0830 tomorrow.
After the rituals of inauguration I will present the following slideset on the rationale for ex-ante, sector-specific regulation.
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