Interview with Karenni candidate Ma Naw Lu Dee
Ma Htoe Hmyar — “I want to tell the public to vote for female candidates,” Ma Naw Lu Dee from the All Nationalities Democracy Party, who is running for the Lower House seat from the Karenni State’s Hpasawng Township, said in an interview with Election Newsroom reporter Ma Htoe Myar.
Q: Which parliament and constituency are you running in?
A: I’m running in Karenni State’s Hpasawng Township for the Lower House.
Q: Why did you decide to run for election in Hpaswang Township?
A: I’m running for the development and security of the state. Our Hpaswang Township produces metal and wood, but we don’t get the right to use these resources for our state so where is the development and security for our people? These resources are important for the state’s development and security. All the living and nonliving things from this state need to be safe. That’s why I’m running here: to make this state secure and developed.
Q: What kind of challenges do you face from your opponents?
A: There isn’t much challenge from my opponents. The USDP is currently the ruling party and they talk about the tasks the party has carried out in that capacity, but they don’t work for the people like I will. The USDP also has its own people working on the election campaign, so this is difficult for me to compete with as our party is smaller.
Q: Are you confident in running against the already powerful candidate?
A: I have full confidence because the current public doesn’t trust my competitor that much. I have learned that they don’t want to vote for him. The public has requested me to run for the election and they will vote for me. At first, I felt a little unsure as I was running against well-known people, but I am now confident after hearing such supportive words from the public.
Q: What’s your view on armed groups?
A: The ethnic armed groups are interested in this election. They expect this election to lead to a big change. They expect the next government can make changes. I believe that they support and trust only the ethnic parties.
Q: In your constituency there are schools that have been established on self-help basis. If you win, what do you plan to do for these schools?
A: This is a real requirement. I promise to do my best to establish schools in bigger villages, for examples villages with 40 or 50 households, by negotiating with the government. Even if I don’t win, I will work together with the next government to improve education in Karenni State via my social work.
Q: How will the Mawchi landslide affect the election? Do you foresee any other difficulties regarding the voters list?
A: The election is drawing closer and some people are facing difficulties regarding their voting status. Some people who have planned to vote in one area have now moved to a different area, meaning that they haven’t been added to the voter list where they are currently residing. We need to ensure that people in this situation are removed from the voter list of their old residence and added to the voter list of their current residence. This is the duty of the Election Commission.
Also, I think these people may have lost interest in the election due to the landslide because they need to focus on other things such as making a living. The horrors they have faced have made them feel unhappy so I think there may be a lack of interest.
Q: If you win and get into the Parliament, what proposal will you submit first for the residents of this constituency?
A: I want to work to improve the school system and road and communications infrastructure. These are closely related. If there is a school but the road and communications is bad, the teachers won’t be able to come to teach and the student won’t be able to come to learn. I want to build at least a motorcycle road to every school. If there is a motorcycle road and a school, the staff and the children will be able to easily travel to the school.
Q: Regarding the election, what are the most significant difficulties facing the people from your constituency?
A: There are many difficulties. The polling stations are too far away from the public. It will be quite difficult for the public to travel to the polling stations on election day. We don’t want to do advanced voting. We would prefer to have more sub-polling stations built rather than doing advanced voting.
Q: What else would you like to add?
A: I want to tell all ethnic Karenni people from here to cast their votes on November 8 for this 2015 Election. Also, I want to tell them to vote for female candidates, like myself.
Translated by Thida Linn
