In our previous blog, we wrote that we visited government in Chin State several times and the minister gave verbal assurances that the permits to build our little houses would be granted, and we expected that the construction of the houses could start soon. Since then, we have realized that the harsh reality is a bit different than our expectations. After asking several times when the letter we sent would be signed, the answer finally came that the minister expects us to work together with a person in Chin State, designated by the minister, to set up our company. The company that we founded with our friend and businessman in Yangon, whom we fully trust, does not meet the personal requirement of the minister.
We are therefore facing a challenge. A bag of money might do wonders but we don't want to go that route. However, setting up a company with someone we don't know and giving him a majority stake in the company is also not an option for us; it is too big a risk. How then to proceed? We cannot do anything without the permission of the government.
At the moment, people are lobbying for us to get the minister to grant the permits. If that doesn't work, then we will have to go back to the minister in March and see if we can come to a solution that is satisfactory for both parties. We will fly to Myanmar again on March 11th, and because we have set up a company we were able to apply for a business visa that will allow us to stay in the country for 10 weeks.
In the meantime, all the materials for the construction of the little houses have been collected and the villagers are ready to start construction. But as long as we do not have a permit, construction cannot start. Does it make us nervous? A bit - it does indicate that we are pioneers in this environment, that relationships may be more important than rules, that patience and tact are more important than project planning, and that a heart for people goes deeper than a heart for success. We are very curious on how it will proceed.
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