Pro-democracy and civil society organizations from Myanmar criticized the National Unity Government (NUG), a group representing elected lawmakers ousted during the military coup on Feb. 1, 2o21, for closing the Ministry of Women, Youth and Children Affairs, following its cabinet reshuffle on Dec. 8.
“It’s very sad news for young people involved in the resistance [to the 2021 coup],” Thinzar Shunlei Yi, an executive member of the Sisters2Sisters campaign, told DVB. She added that there must be a leader who is willing to speak out for women, children, and young people in Myanmar.
Sisters2Sisters raises awareness of excessive force and sexual violence perpetrated against women and LGBTQ+ by the Myanmar military. It also advocates for those living under military dictatorships globally with the stated aim to “dismantle systems of oppression and patriarchy.”
Naw Susanna Hla Hla Soe, an elected member of parliament from the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, which was ousted in the 2021 coup by the military, told DVB that she will continue to support the NUG as an adviser following her retirement from the post of Minister of Women, Youth and Children Affairs.
Retired Deputy Minister Ei Thinzar Maung wrote on social media that she had decided to step down from her role as well to “make space for younger people,” adding that she would remain involved in the resistance to the coup until it succeeds in re-establishing democracy in Myanmar.
Maw Byarmar Oo, the Karenni National Women’s Organization (KNWO) Safe House Supervisor, told DVB that she doubts if the NUG really cares about women and children in conflict-affected areas like Karenni State.
The NUG, established in April 2021 by elected lawmakers, ethnic nationalities, and civil society groups opposed to the 2021 coup, initially comprised 17 ministries.
Besides the Ministry of Women, Youths and Children Affairs, the NUG closed down its Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Communications, Information and Technology, as well as the Ministry of International Cooperation.
The ministries of Labour and Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management were merged into the Ministry of Social Welfare, Labour and Humanitarian Assistance.
Following the NUG restructuring, 12 ministries remain, including Defence; Foreign Affairs; Planning, Finance and Investment; Health; Education; Federal Union Affairs; Home Affairs and Immigration; Human Rights; Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation; Justice; Electricity and Energy; and Social Welfare, Labour and Humanitarian Assistance.
The NUG strove to replicate the NLD government led by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, who’ve both been held incommunicado by the regime since the coup.
Both elected leaders remain in their pre-coup roles within the NUG despite being unable to play any role in the resistance while held in prison over the last five years. Many other key figures and ministers in the NUG have come from the NLD.
