Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing has unveiled a controversial plan to cut fuel use by forcing motorists to swap ageing petrol vehicles for electric cars – a market largely controlled by his own children.

The scheme, announced on Wednesday, comes as the junta struggles with soaring fuel prices and widespread shortages. Authorities have already imposed rationing, odd-even driving restrictions and even work-from-home orders for civil servants. Electric vehicles are exempt from these rules, fuelling a surge in demand and sending showroom prices sky-high.

Industry insiders say the Toyota BZ4X, once priced at around 195 million kyats (US$44,000), now sells for nearly 285 million kyats (US$65,000). Yet while the regime has cracked down on traders in gold and rice markets, it has left EV prices untouched – a move that benefits businesses owned by Min Aung Hlaing’s children, Aung Pyae Sone and Khin Thiri Thet Mon.

Together, they dominate imports of Chinese brands such as BYD and MG, with more than 1,200 vehicles brought in by mid-2024. Their companies also run charging stations across major cities, making the EV sector one of the most lucrative family enterprises since the 2021 coup.

Critics point out the irony of promoting electric cars in a country plagued by chronic power cuts. On the same day he launched the trade-in plan, Min Aung Hlaing urged citizens to cut back on air conditioning and diesel generators as the hot season drives up electricity demand.

For ordinary motorists, the policy means surrendering old vehicles in exchange for access to an EV market where prices are spiralling and supply is tightly controlled. For the junta chief’s family, it promises another windfall in a nation already battered by economic hardship and political repression.

Trying to keep it all in the family without a care for the poor unfortunate people with no money