Magwe land confiscation team mired in red tape
Bureaucratic inefficiencies, cumbersome decision-making mechanisms and poor organisation are hampering Magwe Region’s Committee on Confiscated Lands and Other Lands in their efforts to resolve land disputes, say members. The committee, which was formed by the regional government on July 15, is tasked with making determinations on the estimated 400,000 acres of confiscated farmlands in the region. So far, it has only managed to resolve a total of 18 cases in five months. “The main reason for the delay is that the system is out of sync with democracy. There is a mismatch of democratic process and bureaucratic backlog in the current political climate,” said U Aung Kyaw Kyaw, one of the farmers’ representatives on the committee. He added that the constitution prescribes a whole host of people from “relevant departments” be involved in the decision-making process. The complex nature of the confiscated land cases, as well as the lack of proper documentation, are also partly to blame for the delays, he said.
