CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - The capital city has played host this month to three young professionals from southeast Asia as part of an exchange program through the American Council of Young Political Leaders.
Tu Mai Zahkung of Myanmar and Tze Howe Ooi and Kelvin Yii of Malaysia have been in Cheyenne since April 27 as part of a fellowship through the ACYPL’s Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative. They are part of a group of 16 young people from five southeast Asian nations who have come to the United States for the fellowship, divided between the cities of Washington, D.C., Chicago, Minneapolis and Cheyenne.
“I’m on the board for ACYPL, and I’ve done several exchanges before to Pakistan and India and hosted folks from New Zealand,” said Bryan Pedersen, a local financial consultant and a former Wyoming state representative. He noted that while Cheyenne might seem like a usual choice to bring people to compared with the other, much larger U.S. cities, it provides both a unique perspective of America not available elsewhere and an unprecedented degree of access.
“Each time I’ve hosted one of these delegations, I’ve felt it’s a two-fold opportunity - it’s an opportunity to show my birth state to the world, but it’s also an opportunity to bring the world to Wyoming,” Pedersen said. “When these men and women come here, they can meet all five elected officials. I can introduce them to the governor, to the superintendent (of public instruction), to the treasurer and secretary of state. This is the purpose of the exchange, and then to begin a dialogue.”
All three men taking part in this month’s exchange are skilled professionals in their home countries: Zakhung runs a nonprofit that conducts public policy research that looks into public engagement with Myanmar’s government, which has recently begun opening to the wider world after decades of military control.
“One of my organization’s focuses is on tourism development, so we work with community members on tourism,” he said. “I spent two weeks with Visit Cheyenne, which is a very good tourism organization that works closely with community members. Now I’m with the (Wyoming) Department of Tourism office, learning how they’re trying to attract people from outside and inside the country.”
Yii is a medical doctor who also has a law background and advises two members of Malaysia’s parliament on issues like health care and economics.
“Since coming here I’ve been attached with (City Councilman and Department of Education Chief of Staff) Dicky Shanor. One of the things I really wanted to learn is the system America has in terms of education,” Yii said. “In our country, the education is centralized, and everything is decided by the federal government, unlike here in the U.S. where the states have autonomy and local school boards are elected.”
Ooi works as an oil and gas engineer, as well as founder of a non-governmental organization that seeks to educate the public on international politics and citizen engagement in government. He’s spent much of the month working with Mayor Marian Orr, joining his fellows at City Council meetings and following the recent sixth-penny sales tax election.
“Over here, my goal is to learn what are participatory politics like in the U.S.? How does the mayor frame the city budget and how is it brought before the City Council?” Ooi said. “In Malaysia, a lot of policy decisions are made in the central and federal government, but they may not know what is needed in local governments. I’m trying to develop a framework whereby local communities can get more involved in the local government process.”
The three men agreed that Cheyenne has afforded them opportunities to learn about government firsthand in a way they would not have been able to elsewhere. But they noted smaller American cities like Cheyenne are also often more like the cities and towns they’re used to back home.
“In Myanmar and Malaysia, most of the cities are not as big as New York or Minneapolis,” Yii said. “My state is an energy-producing state, (so Wyoming) mirrors better the condition in my country.”
The three agreed that the value of transparency and local control in government were among their biggest takeaways from their time in Cheyenne. While Americans may often criticize what their local elected leaders do, they at least have the opportunity to choose those leaders.
“The majority of the governmental positions in our country are appointed - even our mayors are appointed - so there’s very limited opportunity for participation,” Yii said. “One of the main things we discussed a lot with some of the local judges we’ve met here is the independence of the judiciary.”
“In Malaysia, public opinion of the independence of the judiciary is at an all-time low,” Yii added. “There have been cases in our country that were decided very favorably for the government. But all judges are appointed and promoted by the executive. If there are any ’activist’ judges, they just stay where they are and never get promoted.”
Ooi noted that he’s also seen more public trust in civil servants in Cheyenne compared to back home, as evidenced by, for example, people’s willingness to call the police to report a crime.
“In Malaysia, that’s something we seriously need to improve tremendously,” Ooi said.
He did note that, because of its governmental structure, public policy in Malaysia can be implemented much more quickly than in the United States, but that too can have drawbacks if a policy is put into place without considering its full ramifications.
Ooi also praised the American educational system’s emphasis on critical thinking skills over rote memorization, which he said is crucial to cultivating an innovative workforce.
“One of the things I’m truly amazed by is the students here are taught to make decisions; teachers are giving you skills, knowledge of a different perspective so you can make a decision based on your belief in what is right or wrong,” he said. “We do learn a lot about our constitution, but we learn it by books, by memorizing factual data and doing exams. That’s why people aren’t interested or engaged (in civic life).”
Home life, Zahkung added, is also quite different here from what he’s used to in Myanmar.
“It’s especially in (how parents) teach their kids, compared to the way we were taught when we were young,” he said. “They’re always trying to encourage, recognize and explain why things happen, which is very different from my experience.”
In addition to learning a great deal about American governance, the three men said they’ll also take away some great memories from their time in Cheyenne, which concludes May 27. For example, given the tropical monsoon climate of Myanmar, Zahkung said this week gave him his first-ever opportunity to see snow.
“I would also say shooting,” he added, noting that Pedersen took the three to a local shooting range. “That was my first experience, and we shot like 50 times.”
The three also appreciate the hospitality and what they described as the warmth of Cheyenne’s residents.
“I’m convinced that the most friendly people in the United States are in Cheyenne,” Yii said.
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Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, https://www.wyomingnews.com
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