Introduction
Myanmar is recognized as one of most culturally diverse nations in Asia. Ethnicity is a multifaceted and politically sensitive issue. Ethnic nationally associations have been supposed that the Government tends to influence ethnic categories for political purposes. Furthermore, the extensive majority of armed conflicts have critically afflicted Myanmar for over sixty years have an ethnic foundation. Reports of Dale and Kyle (2015, 291-326) have noted that the 2008 Constitution makes no vital reference to ethnic minorities (lu-neh-za) or the Indigenous individuals. To a certain extent the 2008 Constitution employs tain‐yin‐thar lu‐myo‐mya’ which has been translated into English with authorization as ‘national races’ According to Brenner (2015, 337-358), Indigenous individuals are presented all levels of the country especially in conflict-affected areas. Comprehensive studies of Miklian and Schouten (2019, 1-13) have shed light on the way several failures to show deference to Indigenous people’s rights has resulted to critical negotiations in addition to costly business project delays, litigation in addition to the loss of the legal and social licence to operate. The report will evaluate the way business has impacted the rights and cultures of Myanmar Indigenous people.
Discussion
There are mounting evidences engagement from businesses especially the extractive sector in Myanmar at policy as well as practice levels. Such an engagement has been raised in identifying Indigenous communities’ rights and developing strategies. Naylin (2016, 99-141) have noted that while in several places Indigenous communities of Myanmar has remained highly sceptical and rigid resulting to the unconstructive experiences received from established business in the country.
Small and Medium Sized Businesses in Myanmar
Naylin (2016, 99-141) have opined in their studies that throughout the course of history, Myanmar businesses did not receive the avenue to attain utmost potential considerably except from 1948 to 1962. The critical lack of management of Myanmar’ economy under the socialist financial system from 1962 to 1988, only a few institutional reorganizations have been formed in order to maximize private sector development of Myanmar along with the Right of Private Enterprises Law that had been circulated during the 1970s. Naylin (2016, 99-141) have drawn insights from previous studies and noted that while privately owned businesses across the socialist period had been restricted to small-scale performances thus focusing on processing natural resource. According to insights gathered from previous studies have claimed that military government stated the implementation of a market-oriented financial system in 1988 and the Private Industrial Enterprises Law of 1990 as well as the Promotion of Cottage Industrial Law of 1991 had been publicized (De Buck et al. 2016, 13-79). These establishments of privately owned SMEs’ have aimed to promote indigenous communities of Myanmar. As per the view of Naylin (2016, 99-141), because of the global agreements of during the military administration accessibility to international markets has been seen as a critical impediment for businesses in Myanmar. In relation to technology approval, SMEs in Myanmar has shown a propensity to be technologically outdated and their efficiency and value of excellence tend to reduce thus offering no significance to Myanmar ethnic minorities. Likewise, Brenner (2015, 337-358) in their studies have claimed that Myanmar businesses utilize outdated machineries and equipment for production before 1948 which badly constrained productivity improvement as well as quality improvement of the ethnic minority groups.
Impacts of Business Corruption on Myanmar Ethnic Minorities
Regardless of the embedded cultural roots which undergird the established ideas of a ‘tse a thwe’ in Myanmar communities, there has been observed an extensive notion related to Myanmar Indigenous populace. Andrews and Htun (2017, 289-306) in their studies have found that over the last generations the business establishment has turn out to be decomposed. Such a decline of business establishments has led to a military-industrial association predominated by administrative allies along with their business associates that involved business executives from ethnically marginalized immigrant Chinese communities rather than including Indigenous Myanmar communities. Andrews and Htun (2017, 289-306) have drawn insights from previous studies and claimed that such disregard towards ethnic minorities of the country initiated during the time of Ne Win, the ta ma do commander which extensively questioned foremost Myanmar down the path of autarky and subjugation. Furthermore, while drawing divergence to the armed political organization in addition to the approaches of several administrative, the essential need of documented agreement in business agreements has developed as a commonplace of many ministers, the perceived need for written documentation in commercial dealings has become commonplace (Brenner 2015, 337-358). Moreover, the effectual collapse in conviction within as well as across set of connections which has been positioned behind this development reveals that the productivity embedded within ethnic minorities of Myanmar has been severely disregarded and overlooked. This severe collapse of Indigenous Myanmar community networks has been portrayed in the domain of business through an array of correlated vantage points.
Meanwhile, Andrews and Htun (2017, 289-306) have claimed that within the arena of businesses and financial systems business and financial system, the Myanmar ethnic minorities groups have been witnessing advanced ways of rules and standards in relation to business execution. Such a business execution has involved several MNC’s and global organizations. By gathering insights from previous studies Andrews and Htun (2017, 289-306) have found that a recent generation of proficient ethnic Burmese communities who have been exposed to modernized business practices, standards, regulations as well as management theories. Several international businesses have been in recent times returning to Myanmar and increased by the NLD electoral success and discernments that the supremacy of the military will be extremely low. The international business organizations have aligned to global business education, competences, values and knowledge. In contrast to this situation, Brenner (2015, 337-358) have shed light on the nature of ‘networks’ and the processes through which these business operations have transformed under military subjugation. As per the view of De Buck et al. (2016, 13-79), within Myanmar’s borders there can be identified significant push for change, where even the alleged cronies have been disregarding the mounting ministerial demands and pressures.
Importance of Local business in peace as well as peace-building
With growing level of economic advantages in Rakhine have gone completely to capital privileged sections with an insignificant proportion receive by the ethnic Rakhines, the Rohingya community in Myanmar has turned out a scapegoat for discontented promises. Comprehensive studies of Miklian and Schouten (2019, 1-13) have revealed that local business actors have been seen as an underestimated entity in Rakhine, both in their peace potential in order to link communities through cross-group business engagements as well as in their entanglements surrounded by local divergence challenges which have been logically eliminated from Indigenous community roles of Myanmar. Regardless of the significant advantages of a highly egalitarian theory of financial development, respected local business leaders in Myanmar have been amalgamated in order to seek ways to avoid together to find ways to avoid any form of scapegoating as well as lack of belief and lack of trust that result to ethnic decontamination of the communities. Meyer and Thein (2014, 156-171) in their studies have found that local entities have been disregarded regardless of the evidences that they worked together across ethnicities even whereas the communities have initiated to collapse.
Comprehensive studies of Tun, Kennedy, and Nischan (2015, 1-58) have opined that the financial opportunity has been considered as a critical macro shock event for Myanmar commerce which have been witnessed in the peripheral areas such as Rakhine. In these contexts, the ethnic minorities of Myanmar had been aware of the emergence of government elites as well as overseas organizations which were placed in a position to harvest the recognition of those communities. As per the view of Miklian and Schouten (2019, 1-13), although local businesses managed to embed their responsibilities in varied ways, they showed the propensity to charge external factors over internal attachments due to various reasons related to political expediency. On one hand, when such a circumstance gave rise to constant corruption which further contributed to inconsistency and arguments, there has been witnessed a highly extensive study of the conditions for the way and underlying reasons which led financial avenues produce local conflicts. Meanwhile, Meyer and Thein (2014, 156-171) have realized the need of a comprehensive holistic understanding regarding the way local small and medium enterprises connect to ethnic communities in internal disagreements.
Impact of international business in illiberal democracies
Holliday (2013, 93-100) has led extensive implications within the discussions of international governance specifically in the way support of the business-peace agenda cover a shift in the balance between public and private authority. Such a shift has been done particularly by integrating business within public responsibility arrangements and by authorizing as well as establishing businesses mainly as peace actors in a form of asymmetrical governance. Similar views have been offered by Meyer and Thein (2014, 156-171) have noted that the peace actors have been built upon business studies approaches which observe the outcome of business on peace and conflict on ethnic minorities of Myanmar in complex conflict settings. Drawing relevance to these insights, Miklian and Schouten (2019, 1-13) have noted that multi-lateral organization removal further implies eliminating the sovereign entail that peace-building organisations have been positioned in fragile and conflict-impacted regions.
Ethical challenges Faced by Myanmar Ethnic Minorities
The mounting demands of home nation institutions are been particularly significant with respect to host nations that follow policies. These policies extensively violate collective ethical norms. However, in certain politically sensitive cases, global agreements have been imposed significantly on South Africa during the apartheid regime. Holliday (2013, 93-100) have noted an amalgamation of institutional pressures purposed to follow overseas agencies from engaging in the nation. However, there has been a lack comprehensively enforced legal agreements. While designing strategies, ethnic minorities in Myanmar have been facing critical threats. Such risk for business reputation has been significant concern when it comes to engage with Myanmar which is de-legitimized by agencies in the organization’s first home nation. As a result, several U.S and U.K organizations have removed from Myanmar market without being legally essential due to concerns and issues that association with a global ‘pariah’ such as Myanmar which could blemish their corporate reputation.
There are mounting evidences of the ethical implications that global business community in Myanmar have the propensity to encounter rising demands in order to turn into developmental agents, specifically reflecting as concerns action on anticorruption business legislation as well as civil liberties. However, these developmental agents have remained to establish the agenda for sustainable development based on its individual terms. These terms have been stimulating a pro-corporate hegemonic discourse that tends to reserve organizations from local businesses as well as communities. Miklian and Schouten (2019, 1-13) have noted that as global organizations as global organizations have included local community contributions in delicate operational areas, very insignificant amount of study is provided to the way organizations have been directing situations where the Indigenous communities are recognized as agents of violence. The substantial qualitative as well as quantitative observations of business in regions of institutional peace-building departure tend to improve these groundwork answers.
Recommendations for establishment of Local and International companies Operations
Before initiating business operations in a community, companies must study the possible effects on cultural life of their operations. Author have noted that if the land tends to have cultural significance to the Myanmar’s ethnic minorities, businesses will facilitate considerable accessibility to the place of significance or tends to reinstate business operations in the conflicted areas. Business operations positioned in special lands tend to interfere with the rights and cultures of Indigenous in order to study specific ethnic as well as cultural values and obligations. Furthermore, businesses have aimed to ascertain that the establishments of local businesses and overseas companies do not restrain the local ethnic rights and authorities or lead to the displacement of local cultural traditions as well as actions. On the other hand, there can be identified cultural issues specifically in relation to Indigenous Myanmar communities that must have relevance to Myanmar Oil and Gas sector (Dale and Kyle 2015, 291-326). Drawing insights from previous studies Kramer (2015, 355-374) have mentioned Myanmar is developing as one of the highly proficient destinations for businesses at international level and further to attain the anticipate growth of the sector whereby current infrastructure will need be needed in order to expand. On the other hand, Jason (2019, 55-78) has noted that major influxes of international businesses of all cultural patterns, religions and nationalities would be seen as impediment to several ethnic minorities of Myanmar subsequent to the decades of global isolation. Such an isolation of global businesses has shown a propensity to influence the ethnic value, rights and cultural practices of Indigenous communities. Holliday (2013, 93-100) have noted that in-migration of Indigenous individuals from other areas within Myanmar tend to impact on local edifying cultures and practices.
Conclusion
Hence
to conclude, the establishment of business development of small and medium
enterprises shed light to the importance of global measures to the growth of
small and medium enterprises. Thus, global sanctions as well as restrictions
have related to the promotion of trade and investment of Myanmar with a focus
on SME expansion along with the endorsement of effective integration of small
and medium enterprises in international as well as regional value chains as a rising
and vital policy objective.
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