THABEIKKYIN, Tuesday 7 September 2010 (AFP) - The first election in 20 years is only weeks away, but for many people in isolated Myanmar, a chronic lack of information -- and meaningful choice -- has dulled enthusiasm for the vote.
"Could you please advise me who I should vote for?" 43-year-old Ko Aung asked AFP when questioned on the election.
The father-of-three said there were only two parties in his area, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the National Unity Party (NUP). Both support the country's feared military junta.
Ko Aung, who sells bamboo shoots from the forest in Mandalay's Thabeikkyin township, has heard independent radio reports saying the USDP "is not good", but he has no strong interest in politics.
"Our daily income is the important thing for us," he said.
The election on November 7 has been dismissed by critics as a sham aimed at concealing military power behind a civilian facade.
Generals have stacked the cards in their favour to ensure there is no repeat of the 1990 vote that saw Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) storm to victory, only to be denied power by the junta.
Suu Kyi, the greatest challenge to the military, has spent much of the past two decades in detention and is barred from participating in this election because she is a serving prisoner. She is due for release days after the vote.
The NLD has boycotted the polls saying the rules are unfair and has subsequently been disbanded by the ruling generals.
The main democracy parties still in the running, the Democratic Party (Myanmar) and the National Democratic Force, an NLD offshoot, are fielding just a fraction of the number of candidates put up by the main pro-junta parties.
They have faced serious financial and campaigning constraints, alleged intimidation by security personnel and a tight timetable to register to stand.
With a weakened democracy movement and widespread hardship resulting from years of economic mismanagement, political apathy is rife.
Kyaw Kyaw, a 25-year-old university graduate in Yangon, said he had no interest in the election but would vote USDP if he had to participate as "they will win for sure" and "might continue giving us 24-hour electricity".
"If Aung San Suu Kyi is released and competes in the election, I will vote for her. Otherwise, I will vote for the USDP as I do not know much about the new political parties," he said.
Because it is two decades since the last general election, many people, particularly those in rural areas, do not understand the voting process.
People in Pakokku, in the northeast of Myanmar, told AFP they were afraid to take an interest in politics.
One 31-year-old woman, whose reluctance to be named is unsurprising in a country where political activity has long been associated with double-digit prison sentences, plans to consult monks before casting her vote.
Two years ago the woman, who cannot read or write, was told by her village chief to vote for a new constitution in a referendum, but defied him on the instructions of a monk.
"Although I'm afraid of the village chief and police, I have more faith in our Buddhist monks," she said.
The new constitution, which comes into force with the election, ring-fences a quarter of the legislature for the army, while junta-friendly parties are seen as having a major advantage in the contest for the remaining seats.
The USDP has merged with the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) -- a powerful pro-junta organisation with deep pockets and up to 27 million members, many of whom are civil servants anxious to keep their jobs.
A 55-year-old government worker in Pakokku said his job meant he had not learned much about the political parties.
"I want to vote for the people who can really work for our benefit. The government has repaired our roads and built many factories for us around our region lately," he said.
But asked if he would like to vote for the USDP, he fell silent.
"I do not know much. I have to think it through very thoroughly," he said. "Could you please advise me who to vote for?"
Source:http://www.mysinchew.com/node/44555
"Could you please advise me who I should vote for?" 43-year-old Ko Aung asked AFP when questioned on the election.
The father-of-three said there were only two parties in his area, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the National Unity Party (NUP). Both support the country's feared military junta.
Ko Aung, who sells bamboo shoots from the forest in Mandalay's Thabeikkyin township, has heard independent radio reports saying the USDP "is not good", but he has no strong interest in politics.
"Our daily income is the important thing for us," he said.
The election on November 7 has been dismissed by critics as a sham aimed at concealing military power behind a civilian facade.
Generals have stacked the cards in their favour to ensure there is no repeat of the 1990 vote that saw Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) storm to victory, only to be denied power by the junta.
Suu Kyi, the greatest challenge to the military, has spent much of the past two decades in detention and is barred from participating in this election because she is a serving prisoner. She is due for release days after the vote.
The NLD has boycotted the polls saying the rules are unfair and has subsequently been disbanded by the ruling generals.
The main democracy parties still in the running, the Democratic Party (Myanmar) and the National Democratic Force, an NLD offshoot, are fielding just a fraction of the number of candidates put up by the main pro-junta parties.
They have faced serious financial and campaigning constraints, alleged intimidation by security personnel and a tight timetable to register to stand.
With a weakened democracy movement and widespread hardship resulting from years of economic mismanagement, political apathy is rife.
Kyaw Kyaw, a 25-year-old university graduate in Yangon, said he had no interest in the election but would vote USDP if he had to participate as "they will win for sure" and "might continue giving us 24-hour electricity".
"If Aung San Suu Kyi is released and competes in the election, I will vote for her. Otherwise, I will vote for the USDP as I do not know much about the new political parties," he said.
Because it is two decades since the last general election, many people, particularly those in rural areas, do not understand the voting process.
People in Pakokku, in the northeast of Myanmar, told AFP they were afraid to take an interest in politics.
One 31-year-old woman, whose reluctance to be named is unsurprising in a country where political activity has long been associated with double-digit prison sentences, plans to consult monks before casting her vote.
Two years ago the woman, who cannot read or write, was told by her village chief to vote for a new constitution in a referendum, but defied him on the instructions of a monk.
"Although I'm afraid of the village chief and police, I have more faith in our Buddhist monks," she said.
The new constitution, which comes into force with the election, ring-fences a quarter of the legislature for the army, while junta-friendly parties are seen as having a major advantage in the contest for the remaining seats.
The USDP has merged with the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) -- a powerful pro-junta organisation with deep pockets and up to 27 million members, many of whom are civil servants anxious to keep their jobs.
A 55-year-old government worker in Pakokku said his job meant he had not learned much about the political parties.
"I want to vote for the people who can really work for our benefit. The government has repaired our roads and built many factories for us around our region lately," he said.
But asked if he would like to vote for the USDP, he fell silent.
"I do not know much. I have to think it through very thoroughly," he said. "Could you please advise me who to vote for?"
Source:http://www.mysinchew.com/node/44555
Comments
Post a Comment