Section 4 | HERE AND NOW There are three important stakeholders at the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), which plays a central role in resolving all digital divides. The Minister is U Thant Sin Maung, a retired general manager of Myanmar Railways. The Ministry is involved in discussions with the ADB about liberalizing or corporatizing the MPT, but otherwise his commercial and political interests are firmly linked to transportation sector development. The Deputy Minister U Kyaw Myo spent thirty-two years in the Department of Civil Aviation followed by six years managing two private airlines (Air Mandalay and Mann Yadanarpon Airlines) before accepting his appointment as Deputy Minister. Thus, the top two ostensible champions of closing digital divides have stronger ties to tourism and transportation than to ICTs. Given that the cabinet reshuffle eliminated the former Ministry of Science and Technology and subsumed the former Ministry of Communications and Information Technology under Transport (echoing the parliamentary committee for Transport, Communications and Construction), it is possible that the new administration sees ICT development as primarily a question of infrastructure rather than technology-driven innovation. The third and most likely champion at MoTC is U Sai Saw Lin Tun, Deputy Director General of the IT and Cyber Security Department. Chair of the MPT under the previous administration, U Sai Saw Lin Tun is an experienced technocrat who clearly understands the educational dividends of closing digital divide.261 In late 2016, Deputy Minister U Kyaw Myo joined U Sai Saw Lin Tun for the presentation of results of a nationally representative survey of ICT use in Myanmar.262 This indicates that the Department reports to the Deputy Minister, and he should be considered an informed stakeholder. See Annex C for a detailed stakeholder analysis of champions and spoilers within the governance bodies. Oxford Business Group, “U Sai Saw Lin Tun, Chairman, Myanmar Post and Telecoms (MPT): Interview,” 2015 Gayani Hurulle, “ICT Use in Myanmar 2016 Survey Results Presented to Deputy Minister,” LIRNEasia, January 2, 2017. 261 262 Ending the Gender Digital Divide in Myanmar: A Problem-Driven Political Economy Assessment | 80