(Direct
translation of late Naing Win Swe’s “Ma Thein Shi Si Pote Pay Bar”.)
(On 6 January 1966
General Ne Win’s Revolutionary Socialist Government stupidly prohibited the
civilian populace from transporting, storing, distributing, and trading of 460
basic commodities including the staples such as rice, peanut-oil, and salt. Hta-nyet
(jaggery) was one of those restricted commodities and a large scale smuggling
trade of Hta-nyet had developed overnight in Middle Burma where most of it is
produced.)
Whenever I had
to work with Conductor Mya Own I used to drink cheap palm liquor once the train
turned back from Kyauk-pan-daung towards Taung-dwin-gyi. Once the train was
well past Kywe-wa hill it slowly turned nearly perpendicular and started
running towards Gaung-hti hill.
“Hey, Yin Maung, working for the Railways is like walking
on the tight rope strung between two deep cliffs. If you fell your body would
be broken into many pieces, do you understand? What we’re doing here like
taking money from the smugglers is dangerous job, you know that. But we are
human and we have to eat if there is something to eat. It’s not our fault at
all and they shouldn’t blame on us for doing what we’re doing.”
“Ha. ha, they can’t blame us for eating when someone
is putting into our mouths. Yin Maung, you should never think about when you
will lose your job or when you will be jailed. You can go crazy just by
worrying about. We’re working for Railways because we’re bad and we’re corrupt.
We must take bad money. That’s right, we must take bribe from the smugglers.
Only problem is everyone knows we’re corrupt and taking bribe money. But we are
honest and we do not hide our corruption, ha ha ha!”
I agreed with
Mya Own’s philosophy of taking bribe money honestly from the smugglers without
giving them a trouble. “Yes, yes, you’re
right, we’re right!” agreed me totally. By then train had left the Indaw-gyel
Station and Mya Own was so drunk he couldn’t even wave his flag to signal the
driver. By the time train departed Nyaung-doe Station he was so drunk he
started vomiting once or twice. Then he started dancing and singing aloud in
his guard compartment.