“I’ve resigned from my post. Thank you all. All have been ruined, it is a fact of life,” lamented Chief Minister U Min Min Oo, who used his Facebook account to announce that he was quitting the eight-month Cabinet position.

He is the second person resigned from the National League for Democracy (NLD) government before the one-year term expired. Deputy Minister for Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Dr Tun Win was the first person to step down as he was dismissed by president U Htin Kyaw. But in the case of U Min Min Oo, he chose to leave voluntarily.

Speculations were thick regarding his dramatic decision and ulterior motives. One of primary reasons could be his decision to rename the Chaungzon Bridge after Bogyoke Aung San. But extensive interviews with the party’s officials yielded different explanations.

U Min Min Oo served as deputy speaker of Mon State Parliament for two months before appointing as Chief Minister of Mon State. Immediately after President U Htin Kyaw nominated as State Chief Minister, disagreements among the party members erupted among the representatives of Bilin Township over the choice of candidate for the vacancy. U Min Min Oo is also from the constituency 2, in the same township.

After the vote counted, the State Parliament representative Dr Khin Naing Oo, who was handpicked by U Min Min Oo, was defeated by Dr Aung Naing Oo, who is from All Mon Regions Democracy Party (AMDP) and endorsed by Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). As a result, the NLD lost one of its most important posts in the Parliament.

“Everybody was surprised of the decision because he recommended the person from his own constituency but we didn’t say anything as it was the party leader’s wish. The person he nominated is very young,” disclosed a highly placed source in the party, who asked not to be identified because she is not authorized to speak.

Deputy Parliament Speaker Dr Aung Naing Oo from All Mon Region Democracy Party defended his predecessor’s decision saying that U Min Min Oo’s resignation was his own, not the decision by the party’s leadership.

It is an open secret that since he became the Chief Minister, cracks surfaced among the NLD colleagues. It could be traced back to a donation ceremony presided by Yoe Yoe Lay Group’s owner, U Thein Naing. Since he is one of Mon State’s prominent businessmen, there were doubts such a donation was appropriated as it could be labeled a corruption.

Under the president’s directive, he has the mandate to form a state-level economic commission and its members. He picked U Thein Naing and U Moe Kyaw, the owner of Sone Yay Construction Company’s, who is a socialite. His action has raised a widespread criticism among MPs.

“At that time, the Yoe Yoe Lay Group was still struggling with his hotel business and U Moe Kyaw was under investigation by the Parliament over his project on Strand Road. We couldn’t understand why he chose the two. It raised a question whether he chose them intentionally,” said Dr Aung Naing Oo. After heavy criticism, the commission changed its committee members along the dismissal of the two businessmen.

Chief Minister U Min Min Oo continued to defend his actions saying that he has done nothing wrong in his committee members’ selection. He added that his relations with the businessmen were professional and conducted under the rule of law. Therefore, he emphasized there were no give and take transactions between him and them.

“I have just met Yoe Yoe Lay’s owner at his donation ceremony. I just attended the event because of his invitation and nothing more than it. I had never sat together at a tea shop with  Moe Kyaw. After that I realized I was a target of attack,” he said adding that those accused me of wrong doing should prove that I have committed any corruption.

The president’s directive also mentioned the committee members should comprise of leading businessmen. “Therefore, I chose them for the economic commission,” he told The Myanmar Times on February 21 at an interview in Mawlamyine.

In addition, there are also allegations that he has failed to perform his role as Chief Minister as he often absent from the Parliament and failed to follow-up, let alone implement his promises made, according to the Mon Parliament Speaker Daw Tin Ei.

Daw Tin Ei also pointed out that the Parliament has already protested U Min Min Oo’s continued working on the VIP government guesthouse project, which also upset the MPs because it showed disrespect to the Parliament.

“The government must carry out without fail the matters that have been promised in  the parliament. During these ten months, the government has not dutifully fulfilled the promises pledged in the parliament. The percentage of implementation is very low. Parliament decided to use money for the guesthouse project for most parts but we did not get it,” she said.

The Parliament Speaker reiterated the report to take action against the chief minister by Parliament, the MPs and the party’s members the Central Office must contain these facts.

Like rubbing salts into the wounds, U Min Min Oo also was accused to have committed adultery with a woman who was his campaign manager during the election. The NLD party has already dismissed Myaung Mya township Pyithu Hluttaw MP Dr. Soe Moe Thu for unethical issues.

“When I was a representative, she helped even in the forests. When I became a chief minister, others said she was not useful. So, I appointed her to work at a municipal office. The adultery as  people said is not true,” lamented the chief minister.

Following a three-month investigation by a team led by U Nyamn Win, U Min Min Oo decided to resign from his post. Until today, he refused to divulge the real reasons of his resignation. “It is a party matter,” he stressed.

“There is no problem of investigating me. I have already met mother (Daw Aung San Suu Kyi). There is no problem in taking actions. If I fail to perform my duties assigned to me, they can dismiss me by submitting a petition to the Parliament and the President can dismiss me. I have not broken any law. It is the party’s affairs,” he said.

He submitted a resignation letter to the President and he said to the public who voted him in 2015 election to forgive him as he is not dutiful in his responsibilities and he will not totally rest from the political sector.

He has asked the voters who supported him in 2015 for forgiveness due to his negligence. However, he vowed to continue his political life.  In the 2008 constitution, it is not clear whether a chief minister after his or her dismissal would be able to run as a MP again. According to the constitution, he insisted he is still an MP. But he added he would leave his parliamentarian seat once his letter of resignation has been approved by the President. Earlier, he has resigned from the NLD.

“It’s something that must be done for me, so I did it. The reason I promptly quitting from the party is quite simply because I longer liked the party. I want to cut all my ties. Therefore,  I’m not even wearing my fawn colored [Pin Ni] Tite-Pone(jacket),” asserted U Min Min Oo.

His political colleague, U Aung Myint Khine, the Karen Ethnic Affair Minister and government member said that up until this moment, U Min Min Oo is not involved in any bribery or illegal activities.

The 2008 Constitution stated that in order to discharge a regional and state Minister, who failed to accomplish his/her duties, who lost dignity, or whose skills had deteriorated; at least one-fourth of vote of the total number of Region and State MPs were needed to be submitted to the Speaker. After that, the Parliament will form a investigative team for further investigations and with at least two-third votes casted by the total MPs, the dismissal then would be approved.

In the case of U Min Min Oo, the MPs from the Mon State, did not submit a complaint following the procedures as stated in the constitution. Instead, they sent a letter directly to the President and the Party to investigate him. Subsequently, the party initially did further investigations on his conducts and filed a report to Union government office.  Surprisingly, he decided to resign before the government could take any action about the report. Therefore, there were strong criticisms whether the Party was involved in the U Min Min Oo’s dismissal.

U Win Htein, the NLD central executive committee member, and leading party figure, also gave word of praise to U Min Min Oo for possessing a resolute spirit in voluntarily stepping down. “This man possesses determination, a heart of gold, so he resigned. Even after his resignation, he does not attack or blame others. I really admire his of attitude,” U Win Htein lauded his former colleague.     

On the morning of 23 February, the government accepted U Min Min Oo’s resignation. Nobody knows who would replace him as the incoming Chief Minister even though U Win Htein has recommended Dr. Aye Zan, the state MP of Kyaikto Township, for the position.

Dr. Aye Zan was tipped as the chief minister even before U Min Min Oo’s appointment. Some representatives have commented that he is the most suited candidate for the Mon state.   

“There were some disagreements among the NLD representatives when U Min Min Oo was appointed. I know that Dr. Aye Zan has done so much for NLD. He is also well respected as a senior politician by the party members. He should have been the state MP. It’s a pity that one year has been wasted. The NLD should have appointed him in the first place,” said Dr. Aung Naing Oo.

The 2008 constitution stipulates that during the five-year term, the government can appoint new chief ministers for each region and division. However, the term for the new appointee cannot exceed the remaining term of the president. Thus, even if Dr. Aye Zan is appointed as the Mon state chief minister by the presidential order, he will only serve four years in the office.

Mon ethnic physician Dr. Aye Zan was the head of the NLD branch in Kyaik Hto city, when NLD was founded. He won the 1990 election and was appointed as MP.  Currently, he is the chairman of Parliament’s finance, planning and economic committee and natural resource committee.

– Translation by Win Thaw Tar, Zar Zar Soe, Khine Thazin Han, Kyaw, Kyaw Soe Htet and Swe Zin Moe