Q: Are you doing any campaign rallies now? What kind of challenges do you face when campaigning?

A: There are many villages in my constituency No 2. I have been campaigning every day. Some places are difficult for us to travel. Also, the party has some difficulties with the budget so there are some challenges in campaigning.

Q: Besides Kachin State-based parties, big parties like the ruling USDP, the NLD, and the National Democratic Force (NDF) are also running in Hpakant constituency so what are the challenges, advantages, and disadvantages in running against your competitors?

A: We don’t have any weaknesses or challenges. Our advantage is that the voters understood us well when we explain about the tasks carried out by our party. Many ethnic people live in Kachin State so the young people from our party have been trying to explain to them as much as they can while we are rallying for votes so our campaign goes without a hitch.

So, I think our party has a chance of winning in Kachin State. In my personal view, we have a 70 percent chance of winning.

Q: At present there are renewed clashes between the KIA and the Burmese army so are you worried about these battles affecting the election?

A: We are worried a little bit about this issue. We are worried that an unexpected battle taking place. We still haven’t faced any challenges in campaigning up till now, but we are worried that the battles will affect Election Day. As the election approaches, we are worried about the restart of the battles.

Q: What do Hpakant residents understand about the upcoming election? Do they have any difficulties in voting?

A: We’ve found that they still don’t understand the voting process quite well even until now. There are still difficulties since they aren’t familiar with stamping. Also, they have told us about not being included in the voter list even though they are on the household list. But, we can’t do anything since it’s past the deadline to check the voter list and submit application to the commission to have it amended.

Q: Have you made any special submission to the Union Election Commission over this issue?

A: We discussed it last week, but we don’t know what the latest status is.

Q: If the KSDP wins in Hpakant constituency (State Constituency No 2), what have you prepared to carry out as main priorities for the public?

A: The road and communications are terrible in our Hpakant area. So, we will work for a better road and communication [system]. Another thing is that a multitude of ethnic people live in our area so we will prioritize issues for them. Also, flooding and landslides frequently happen in our area so we will gave priority on maintenance and prevention.

Name: U Sai Aung

Age: 47

Party: Kachin State Democracy Party

Parliament: State Parliament Candidate Constituency: Hpakant Constituency (State Constituency No 2)

Education: Passed Seventh Standard
Race: Kachin

Occupation: Baptist Christian Association National

Department’s in-charge

He has previous political experience helping the NDF in the past and is running as State Parliament candidate for the first time this year.

Translated by Thida Linn