LOCAL GOVERNANCE MAPPINGMapping Highlights in Mon State

Background

Mon State is one of Myanmar's most well-connected andprosperous states/regions. Economic activity is driven byagriculture, forestry, fishing and mining, and the state is a majorproducer of rice and rubber crop. Both domestic and foreigninvestors have shown interest in Mon given the state's strategicproximity to Thailand and its huge potential as a tourismdestination.

Mon State's population of nearly 2.1 million consists of Mon,Bamar, Kayin and Pa-O people, and Myanmar and Monlanguages are the most prominent.

The security situation in Mon has stabilised following theratification of a ceasefire agreement between the Uniongovernment and the Mon National Liberation Army in 2011.Alongside the Mon State Government, the New Mon State Party(NMSP) plays a significant role in public life, notably through theestablishment and administration of Mon schools. In theseschools Mon language is the medium of instruction, and theyoperate in parallel alongside the government education system.

Socio-economic context

In Mon, the mapping covered Bilin, Chaungzon, Kyaikmaraw,Paung, Thanbyuzayat and Ye townships, where citizens, serviceproviders, committee members, civil society representatives andlocal administrators were interviewed about local governance andservice delivery.

Approximately 600 citizens and 200 service providers and localadministrators shared their experiences and impressions of , (specifically primary education, primary health care and drinkingwater), and .This high-light shares some of the key findings in Mon.

In 2013 a mapping of local governance took place in Mon State.This was part of the pilot phase of a nation-wide local governancemapping carried out by UNDP in collaboration with the GeneralAdministration Department, Ministry of Home Affairs. For anoverview of the methodology see Fast Facts: Local GovernanceMapping in Myanmar.

development planning and participation access to basic services

information transparency and accountability

Source: MIMU

POPULATION: POPULATION DENSITY:

POVERTY INCIDENCE:TOWNSHIPS:

167/km2

16.3%10

2.050 million

Supported by:

Improvements seen at the community level

Around half of the people perceive improvements made by thegovernment over the past three years. Most visible improvementsseen by people are education and better roads (24% and 20%).

People would like to see better roadsand improved electricity.

Development planning and participation

At the sub-national level, there are new developmentfunds, and emerging opportunities for local actors, suchas Support Committees, Village Tract/WardAdministrators (VT/WAs) and the people, to influencethe planning process and decision-making for thesefunds.

Development Funds TDSC

Although the Township Development SupportCommittee (TDSC) has an advisory function onpaper, it appears to have some executive dutiesin Mon State. In Chaungzon, the TDSC hascommitted itself to help raise money towardsbuilding a bridge for one community.

The Township Municipal Affairs Committees(TMACs) appear to be operating as a hybrid bodyin Mon State townships, fulfilling both executiveand consultative functions with respect tomunicipal affairs including i.e. the regulation ofmarkets, licensing for meat sales and production,granting of building permissions and enforcingof municipal laws and regulations.

As one example of its work, the Bilin TMACestablished holding areas at the township busstation in response to citizen complaints ofaggressive touting there by taxi drivers.

TMAC

TA and TMC

In Mon State the Township Management Committee(TMC), chaired by the Township Administrator (TA) isthe key driver for township development plans andpriorities.

TAs in Mon State discussed the difficulties associatedwith gaining a 'horizontal' overview of townshipactivities and understanding key gaps and priorities forbasic service delivery. For example, the TownshipMedical Officer (TMO) is not part of the TMC, and thesubsequent lack of overview may lead to waste ofresources. For example, if the TMC decides to use thePRF for the construction of a new clinic but the healthdepartment does not adjust its planning and recurrentbudget to run the new clinic, resources are lost.

Less than half of the citizens of Mon State (39%) hasever participated in a meeting in their village tract orward, and only 24% have ever been invited to a meetingabout development projects or problems in their village.

Women's representation and

participation

Citizen participation in meetings

Representativeness

The lack of clarity on the mandateand role of the TDSC and TMACemerged as a primary issue ofconcern.

While there are citizen andinterest group representatives onboth committees, it remainsunclear how widely the popularvote extends, and who exactlyshould be consulted in theselection of interest grouprepresentatives.

Across townships in Mon State, women feature fairlyprominently among clerical support staff and heldmanagement positions in departments such as theDepartment of Health (DoH) and the Department ofPlanning (DoP). In the communities, fewer womenparticipate in meetings about development projects orproblems organised by the Village Tract/WardAdministrator (VT/WA).

Vacancies and gender composition in township GAD

47

30 29

19

Access to basic services

Majority of people perceived improvements (68%), and were satisfied (74%) with the quality of education, followed by healthwhere 53% perceived improvements and 57% displayed satisfaction.

Health Education

Reasons cited for perceived improvementsinclude more staff and the reduced cost ofhealth services.

Reasons cited for perceived improvements include new buildinginfrastructure and more teaching staff.

Equity in

healthcare

Equality of treatment in public health services is perceived to be fairly high. 92% of the public health serviceusers thought that they and their family members receive the same treatment at health clinics as others inthe village.

Improvements in

education

Land registrationWhile 79% of Bamar respondents and 50% of Mon respondents had registered land used for farming, only36% of the Kayin respondents had done so.

75% of the teachers interviewed in Mon State (27 out of 36) also felt that the quality of education in theircommunity had improved over the last three years. Most cited better basic infrastructure as a key reason.

Information, transparency & accountability

In Mon State, the TMC is emerging as the primarygrievance redressal mechanism, reviewingcomplaints and assigning responsibilities to othercommittees.

This places pressure on the capacity of townshipadministration officers across the state. The TMC wasformed to drive and coordinate townshipdevelopment. But given a more open environmentwith less fear of reprisal, and given the fact thatVillage Tract Development Support Committees(VTDSCs) are legally obliged to submit matters thatcannot be resolved at the village tract/wad level tothe TMC, a large proportion of the work and time ofthe TA and the township administration is nowdedicated to dealing with complaints.

Almost all VTAs, but very few citizens feel theTownship administration is providing them withsufficient information about development projects.CSOs also think that the information flow shouldbe improved.

The VTA is a central player in local governance. 85%of rural residents could name their VTA as could80% of urban respondents name their WardAdministrator. Representatives on the state level areless known. 36% of the people could not name thePresident.

The majority of healthcare staff interviewed(26 of 27) stated that they knew the Ministryof Health code of conduct, and that workerswithin their facility adhered to it. Themajority of teachers (33 of 34) were alsofamiliar with the civil service code ofconduct, and confirmed that they adhered toit.

Numbers of complaints are going up, and mostcomplaints are related to land.

"A lot of the new work of the townshipadministration is to do with complaint letters, aswe have become more open than before."

Township Administrator in Bilin

Perception gap on information provisionAwareness of representatives

83

25

65

19

82

The committees should monitor and evaluate developmentprojects to ensure they are effective and efficient.

Capacities of Township Committee members need to be improved and there needs to be greaterclarity on their roles and mandates.

UNDP Myanmar No. 6, Natmauk Road,Tamwe TownshipYangon 11211,MyanmarE-mail:communications.mm@undp.orgJanuary 2015

Clear and transparent procedures for township planning need to be developed, with moreautonomy for and better coordination between lower level agencies and officers in order forthem to adequately respond to local needs.

For a more detailedreport on Mon pleasevisit: www.mm.undp.orgGiven their key role in indirect participation of citizens, information flow, and dispute

resolution, Village Tract Administrators should be supported in their role.

In the State level workshop in Mawlamyinewhere interim findings from the mappingin Mon were presented, government andcivil society from the State, township andvillage tract/ward level maderecommendations. These include:

The rise in public complaints is taking up a lot of time and resources of the townshipadministration, particularly the TMC. A separate mechanism for grievance redressal should bedeveloped.

Community Dialogue

State-level

recommendations

234

Conclusions

In the community dialogues, different groups from thecommunity such as women, youth and elders, as well as localservice providers and the village tract/ward administrator,discussed key issues of and possible improvements for localgovernance and service delivery.

In Htan Pin Gyaung Gyi Village Tract in Paung Township forexample, the citizens expressed willingness to supportconstruction of a hospital if the government could providethe health care staff and equipment. All groups alsoexpressed the need for government projects in the area inorder to create employment opportunities. More generally,citizens, service providers and the village tract administratoragreed to continue dialogue about future developmentprojects.

1

CSOs should be encouraged to engage more with thetownship administration and should have more chances toparticipate in project selection and implementation.

The union level should restructure the composition ofexisting positions at the township-level to enable a morestrategic focus on township development planning.