ABSTRACT
In 1989 socialist idealism waned while capitalist pragmatism became a global trend. The Government of Myanmar (Burma) joined the rush. Labelled perestroika in the Soviet Union, democracy in Eastern Europe, and “a return to the Golden Peninsula” by Thailand’s and Vietnam’s foreign ministers —— the rose by any name smelled the same: freedom for the investor to seek a profit in business. The Government of Myanmar in mid-1988 instituted drastic changes in its production, manufacturing and trading policies with the objective of maximizing domestic private sector participation and foreign investment. In the field of agriculture, the dominant sector of the economy, production and marketing of all crops including paddy have been decontrolled. Rather, the Burmese way to capitalism continues, like the Burmese way to socialism, to arouse cynicism, hypocrisy, and despair among the citizens. Cultural issues are paramount for the minorities, and Burmans as well, who want their children to retain their language, their religious practices, and their traditions.
