Open Hluttaw launches mobile app for parliamentary oversight
Open Hluttaw launches mobile app for parliamentary oversight
Frontier Myanmar, 22 Sep 2017
URL: https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/open-hluttaw-launches-mobile-app-for-parliamentary-oversight
YANGON — A local NGO has launched a new app aiming to give Myanmar’s public greater accountability over its elected representatives.
The Open Hluttaw app, developed by Myanma Fifth Estate with funding from the Dutch embassy, provides biographies of Union lawmakers, along with their committee responsibilities and contact details.
Available in English and Burmese, MFE program officer Naw Susan Hilary said at the app’s public launch on Tuesday that Open Hluttaw would allow greater contact between MPs and their constituents than had previously been possible.
“If someone wants to complain about an issue in their constituency, he or she can easily use our app and find out how to contact their representative,” she said.
The app was designed by local IT firm Sundew Myanmar, whose previous work in the government realm includes the development of a voter registration system for the Union Election Commission in 2015.
“Most people in Myanmar are not familiar with even using emails. But they are familiar with mobile apps and that’s why we used this platform,” said Ma Khin Myat Noe, Sundew Myanmar’s vice president and cofounder.
“The big challenge is lack of reliable data sources. The parliaments couldn’t provide that much [at the moment], so based on the data provided by Open Myanmar Initiative, we had to do the research ourselves.”
While many IT startups in Myanmar are struggling to find a client base, audience demand for government related apps is strong. The Open Hluttaw app has been downloaded more than 1,000 times since its Tuesday launch.
The Open Hluttaw app, developed by Myanma Fifth Estate with funding from the Dutch embassy, provides biographies of Union lawmakers, along with their committee responsibilities and contact details.
Available in English and Burmese, MFE program officer Naw Susan Hilary said at the app’s public launch on Tuesday that Open Hluttaw would allow greater contact between MPs and their constituents than had previously been possible.
“If someone wants to complain about an issue in their constituency, he or she can easily use our app and find out how to contact their representative,” she said.
The app was designed by local IT firm Sundew Myanmar, whose previous work in the government realm includes the development of a voter registration system for the Union Election Commission in 2015.
“Most people in Myanmar are not familiar with even using emails. But they are familiar with mobile apps and that’s why we used this platform,” said Ma Khin Myat Noe, Sundew Myanmar’s vice president and cofounder.
“The big challenge is lack of reliable data sources. The parliaments couldn’t provide that much [at the moment], so based on the data provided by Open Myanmar Initiative, we had to do the research ourselves.”
While many IT startups in Myanmar are struggling to find a client base, audience demand for government related apps is strong. The Open Hluttaw app has been downloaded more than 1,000 times since its Tuesday launch.