A retired United Nations economist in Rangoon, U Myint once joked that Burma’s military generals ran “command economy”. They issued orders, military-style, and expected the economy obey.
Now the 73-year old UC Berkeley doctorate is President Thein Sein’s top economic advisor. He is charged with the complex task of shepherding through reforms to unleash Burma’s growth potential, and attract more investment from foreign companies.
“It’s going to be a long haul, with lots of work to be done,” said Sean Turnell, at Australian National university. “There are going to be a lot of people who will be unhappy once reforms take place, as their interests will be exposed. So the potential for reaction is there.”