Zaw Zaw, the chairman of the Myanmar Football Federation
and founder of Max Myanmar Group, may be the most socially conscious of
those among Burma’s business elite who are regarded as cronies.
In a recent interview with The Irrawaddy, Zaw Zaw insists
he has always played by the rules and has never exploited anyone for
his own gain. He also laments that his business ambitions have been
hampered by the imposition of international sanctions against him.
Zaw Zaw went on to say that fighting against one another,
whether ideologically or physically, was a weakness of Burma’s people.
As for younger generations at this time of great change, he said more
job opportunities should be created and Burma’s education system must be
improved for the betterment of the nation’s future.
Question: You used to say that even if you are a so-called ‘crony,’ you want to be a good one. Why is that?
Answer: I am Burmese and a native of this country. I
have never betrayed my country. I love it and want it to be honored. I
do business and pay taxes. At the same time, I take care of my staff as I
would my children and carry out CSR [corporate social responsibility]
for them. Nowadays, I have become a political victim and been called
strange names. I don’t have any comment on that. What I do is just
important. My belief is that I will do my best for my country no matter
how I have been criticized. I will continue doing my business honestly. I
will also help young people and nurture them to be brilliant.
Q: What is the value of your assets right now?
A: A valuation on my assets should be carried out
first in order to answer this exactly. There are international valuation
companies that assess us. What I mean is that I bought a house for 100
million kyat [US $125,000] before, but it may be worth a billion kyat
now. So I can tell you exactly only after the valuation.
Q: Prior to 1990, you worked in Japan. You were
an ordinary worker then. How did you manage in the last 20 years to
build this life for yourself from those origins?
A: Actually, I went to Japan in 1990. In 1988, I was
studying my final year at Rangoon University, majoring in mathematics. I
am very careful with my time. I strove full time with the intelligence
and prudence I gained, thanks to my teachers and parents, from primary
school to graduation. I have always tried to achieve good results.
Whatever I do, I want to make it happen and finish it. I also want to
make it successful.
Another thing is that I have many friends and I don’t find it
difficult to tolerate others. Besides that, I am honest, have never
cheated anyone in my life even for a penny, and never committed any
crime either. These are parts of my life profile. To be frank, I am
where I am now because I have been striving full time and [this is the]
cause and effect of what I’ve done.
Even though a 20-year period is not that long, in reality it is about
a quarter or one-third of a lifetime. In some countries, there are many
people who have become billionaires within five to 10 years. I am rich
to a certain extent in Burma, but I am not competing with anyone in my
country. It is very shameful if we compare with other counties. Our
wealth is in fact quite small.
I want to compete with people in other countries in our education,
social, health and economic sectors. Because these are my desired
benchmarks, I have found that we haven’t reached any status and I am
always ready to keep trying to achieve a better status for my country.
Q: You have established the Ayeyarwady
Foundation, which donates to various philanthropic causes. But would it
be fair to view such activities as equally beneficial to you and your
businesses as a promotional vehicle? You mentioned CSR earlier.
A: The word CSR arrived in Burma not long ago. If
you look at my donations, they began when I was young. When I was 12, I
offered coats of whitewash over stupas in my town. I participated in all
social occasions of joy or grief there. Likewise, Yegyi Township
Association, a social organization for students from the same place, was
founded only when I came to study at Rangoon University.
Then, I went to Japan to work. I worked there for about 20 hours a
day. When I came back to Burma, I bought a fire truck and donated it.
During that time, I didn’t know about CSR or know the word crony, which I
and others have been labeled. I just did it because I was told by my
teachers and parents that as a Burmese Buddhist, I should do such
activities out of pure desire from my heart. If you ask me why I donate,
I would say that helping needy people is a good thing and I will
continue to assist them.
Q: You have said that your assets will be donated when you die. Where will you donate them?
A: According to Lord Buddha’s teaching, your assets
won’t follow you after your death but kamma [the result or consequences
of what you have done] will. I make donations and [pursue] merit because
I want to take the consequences along with me. I bestow well-wishes and
goodwill on others. Mainly bearing in mind Buddha’s teachings, I have
decided to donate as much as I can before I die.
Q: You have supported opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi and prominent democracy activist Min Ko Naing. Some people
think you are trying to court Suu Kyi because you want your name to be
removed from international sanctions lists. Any comment on that?
A: Why do we need to contend with each other, which
will eventually lead to organizational schisms, in this fragile country?
We have many things to do to re-establish it. Our country is still
really poor and need is everywhere. Under such circumstances, if we go
in opposite directions, we won’t reach a good destination. I want to
tell everyone that I want to establish our country together with the
state government, the opposition and the people. I only have this desire
in mind.
Q: As a successful businessman, do you have any plans to enter the political arena?
A: I currently don’t have any plans for that. I want
to create job opportunities for our people. They can survive properly
only if they individually have a good income. So, apart from me, many
young businessmen should emerge in Burma. Youths should also be given
jobs as foreign investment comes into the country.
But at the moment, many Burmese have to go to other countries to find
work. That doesn’t matter if they are working in those countries as
educated persons or scholars. Unfortunately, since we can’t provide,
they have to go there for lowly jobs. Personally, I want to create jobs
for them in this country so they can work here. I have enough for my
life’s security and can survive well. What I am striving for now is to
compete with other countries, since I always have a competitive mind.
Q: Do you believe in the legitimacy of the
ongoing political reforms in Burma led by President Thein Sein? Do you
think this democratic transition will be successful?
A: I only have positive thinking about it. Compare
our country’s situation two years ago and now! People can’t just say
their wishes. It takes time for something to happen. Real effort is also
needed. All tasks carried out under the current reform process are very
good. For me, I only hope for the positive.
source: The Irrawaddy
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