Many Burmese people are in need of help.

With the introduction of the so-called open-market economy in Burma, a new affluent class emerged through business enterprises and trading opportunities. They are also said to be cronies and relations of the ruling junta.

Do listeners have any experience and benefit from the helping hands of these tycoons?

Burma used to have the rich families who help the needies with full patriotism. If the modern day tycoons are lacking such good traditions, what do you think the reasons behind this?

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Some of the emails from the listeners

No, they are not. They just make the people suffer more because I saw with my own eyes in the Kayah State I went two weeks ago, I saw no good roads at all while I saw a private Company profits so much on the State.
And there was no medicines for the sick and no rooms for them in the hospital. The people have to do any development they need by themselves.
Ko Kyaw Kyaw Naing, Marseille, France

Whether tycoons have helping hand or are interested for needy-class depends solely on how they get that high status. whether with mastermind or with tricky imprudent way-and the environment they are living in. If they have experience of or morality of poverty, they will certainly have compassion for the needy. On the other hand, some external forces can coerce them to act in the unscrupulous way. Those so called forces can be accounted from Regime that reigns the country. How can those be derived from regime can be explained by its morality and substantial acknowledgment of contemporary and absolute honesty about compassion for the needy and ,in the further step, middle-class people.
Jones, Singapore

During the recent cyclone disaster, the rich were found to be helping the poor, better than what the government could do. It is to be noted that the post-8888 middle class voted for the NLD in 1990 elections and if there is a fair election, they will vote the same too. Many of the so-called tycoons have 'democracy' in their heart. Even some ex-colonels and ex-generals want democracy. They are just too corrupt to say the truth.
Tha Han, Warwick, UK

During the recent cyclone disaster, the rich were found to be helping the poor, better than what the government could do.   Thar Han, UK

What Burma need is a possible function system, not individual wealthy people. If Burma allows rich people to manipulate it's economy, rich people will suck out whatever left of it in Burma. What Burma needs is good tax law, regulate minimum wages by law, create corporation and private enterprises, adopt the law of fair competition, restrict border trading especially with China and India. We also need to reconsider trading with Singapore!!!! If we allow rich people to run the country as they wish, these people will suck the life out of the people. The rich people in Burma are blinded by way of corruptions and manipulating power for their own good. The rich must not rule the economy of Burma, only good law and proper government have to lead the economy of Burma.
Tom Tun, Canada

Government should be more responsible
Soe Win Htet Aung, Yangon, Burma

The rich must not rule the economy of Burma, only good law and proper government have to lead the economy of Burma.   Tom Tun, Canada

The so-called open-market economy was aimed for the benefits of a handful people and not for the people of the country in reality. We can say that there are four classes in Burma:
Class 1-the most powerful and richest found in top army officials and their relatives;
Class 2-Administrative authorities and their relatives;
Class 3-workers and civilians and
Class 4-senior citizens and baggers. We can also see big gaps between those societies. It is clearly understood that foreign investments in Burma have brought out numerous business tycoons in various sectors. The outputs do not give prosperity to the people. But beefing up military mechanism to press down low class people and all opposing elements. We can say that the tycoons have no interest to upgrade ailing social sectors. Because of this, more than a million of people have to desert their motherland mostly on the ground of economic depression and political instability. As a proof of poverty we can see some tragic stories consequently happening because of economic depression and military's ill-treatment. Some parents are selling their own children for their survival. In some cases parents sell their minor aged sons to the military recruiting centres for their family survival. If the rich society had any aspect of interest of creative interest how can such things be happening to day?
Saw Day Day, Finland