And every time it slips people's lives get a little tougher. The value of wages has been steadily eroded. Obtaining dollars in cash is just one of many things which is illegal, but widespread. Under such dire economic conditions, even doctors demand bribes before treating a patient, as do police when making arrests, residents say. Simple things like learning to use a computer are beyond most people's means.
Red tape abounds.
Importing goods is complicated. In the countryside where most people live, life is not much easier. Farmers have to grow several crops of rice a year on land which can only support one, and then are required to sell much of it to the government at low prices. Much of the rice distributed free to government workers is of low quality. At night, many of the streets in downtown Rangoon are in darkness.