Resurrected Burmese political party campaigns in Mudon Township
Tue 22 Dec 2009, Janu, Mi Yin Mon
Members of a Burmese military junta backed civilian political party that participated in a previous election attempt, have been campaigning for support from residents in the 2010 election.
According to residents from Mudon Township, since November 4th the Burmese National Unity Party (NUP), which participated in the 1990 election as the Burmese military junta’s civilian political party, has been working to win residents support.
“This group [NUP] goes from one village to after another to organize the villagers in Mudon Township. They go to one village for a day to organize the people, though it is not every day [that they go],” said a woman from Mudon township. “When they go and organize the people from any village, they go to the house, which they knew before. Then they have a discussion with these people on how to vote for them in the election.”
According to residents, during these political organizing visits, NUP members attempted to persuade residents to vote in favor of their party by telling them that if they (the NUP) win in the election or if they were the primary party in the new government, they would give people more business benefits through fewer taxes. According to one villager who attended the Township meeting in Mudon, NUP members attempted to rally Mudon residents to their party by highlighting the refusal of the New Mon State Party, the largest Mon political organization, to participate in the coming 2010 election. The Mudon resident recounted their efforts, “‘The New Mon State Party will not join the coming election. We don’t see any people here who represent for Mon people and we also are Mons. So don’t make a mistake in the election.’”
The villager continued, saying, “They [NUP members] said to the attending people that other parties also will come in the future to them and that the other parties will talk to them, and give them things to eat and drink, but [they reminded us] we have to be careful when we vote.”
According to resident, 4 months ago the NUP began campaigning in Mudon Township. However, due to the number of villages in the area, they were unable to finish, and have only recently renewed their campaign in November.
While the election was scheduled for 2010 in the 2008 ratified constitution, the official rules for the election have yet to be released. Additionally registration process for new parties has yet to be announced.
The NUP was formed on September 26th, 1988, from what had been the Burma Socialist Program Party (BSPP). The party was created to provide a new civilian face for the military junta that had only recently recovered its position in a coup after the 1988 student protests.
Despite significant monetary and material support from the government, and the government arrest of opposition leaders, the NUP gained only 10 parliamentary seats of 485. The National League for Democracy won the lion’s share, taking 392. Due to the resounding failure of the NUP, the military government chose not to honor the election results.
