Yangon Cardinal Charles Bo said it was time to “reverse the trend” of a 60-year decline in Myanmar, designated the “least-developed country” by the World Bank, the Catholic Free Press reported on 17 November.
At the opening of a national conference on Nov. 15 aimed at creating a more equitable distribution of wealth in the impoverished country, Cardinal Bo demanded justice from “the three Cs: cronies, companies and countries nearby.”
The cardinal spoke at a conference called “Myanmar’s Resource Wealth: Toward People-Cantered National Savings, Benefit Sharing and Social Protection.” Among its organizers was a locally based transparency group that has pushed for greater openness in following revenue streams, particularly in the extractive industry, which international agencies have called “infamously opaque.”
Cardinal Bo said none of the wealth generated from natural resources such as gold and other extractive minerals has benefited the poor, especially the most vulnerable among their ranks.