Who is he?
Shwe Maung, also known as Abdul Razak, is a member of Myanmar’s parliament representing Rakhine state. He is a member of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and one of just two ethnic Rohingya Muslims in the legislature. He represents Buthidaung township in northern Rakhine, which is majority Rohingya. Since being elected to parliament in November 2010, Shwe Maung has been vocal in his push for the government to amend the 1982 Citizenship Law that denies most Rohingya citizenship and has long warned of growing communal violence in Rakhine should the government fail to take proper action.
Why is he in the news?
Shwe Maung gave an interview on January 31 in which he claimed to have “solid information” that local police were involved in burning Rohingya homes in Du Char Yar Tan village in Maungdaw township. His comments contradicted the state and federal governments’ narrative that Rohingya villagers had set fire to their own homes.
President Thein Sein on February 3 issued a letter summoning Shwe Maung for questioning on allegations of instigating conflict and defaming the government and police force. He was interrogated by Home Ministry officials at the USDP headquarters in Naypyidaw, and the government has said that he could face charges if he cannot provide evidence for his claims. In addition to highlighting the politically charged atmosphere surrounding the Rohingya, the decision to question Shwe Maung has raised fears about media freedom in Myanmar.
What can we expect from him?
Shwe Maung will likely continue to raise the situation in Rakhine through his active social media presence, and discussing the need to amend the current citizenship law. But discussion of the Rohingya is so politically unpopular in Myanmar that he is unlikely to find much support from colleagues. It remains unclear to what extent the USDP and its leader, parliament speaker Shwe Mann, who might have originally considered Shwe Maung’s ethnic background a useful draw in Buthidaung and surrounding areas for the 2015 national elections, will tolerate his strong views on the need for Rohingya citizenship.
