Sai Aung Myo Lwin, Sagaing Region — “What I really want is for real Shan people to pave the way because priorities should be given to parties for Shan people that have set principles,” Sai Kham Shwe from the Shan Nationalities Democracy Party (also known as the White Tiger Party) told reporter Sai Aung Myo Lwin from Shanni News.
Q: Why are you running for Shan Affairs Minister?
A: The reason is because our ethnic people are not only the Shan people. There are other ethnic tribes below 0.1 percent of population. Sagaing Region only has Shan and Chin [Affairs Ministers]. Now, there are Kadu and Kachin people that are less than 0.1 percent of the population. I worry about the disappearance of ethnic tribes that are less than 0.1 percent population. Our Shan people haven’t gotten the chance to learn for over 60 years so I must do what I can while I have the chance. So, we must teach them at school. Otherwise, we will go extinct. The Affairs Minister has the duty to carry out these tasks. Only then can we carry them out. The Shan people who get 0.1 percent population should work for the health and livelihood of the ethnic people.
Q: What kinds of campaigns have you being carrying out and what promises have you given to the public?
A: We’ve formed in Katha District. I’ve been giving necessary aid to our groups in Katha District. I haven’t gone to the Homalin area yet. Our principle is to obtain the right for ethnic culture and literature and the right to teach them at school as a compulsory subject from elementary to middle school. Also, for the principle on workers, we don’t like the use of power.
Q: Many candidates are running for Shan Affairs Minister in Sagaing Region so what are the possible challenges for you and what kind of challenges do you face in campaigning?
A: Many candidates are running for the position. Also, independent candidates are also running, especially in the Homalin area. I really want real Shan people to pave the way because I think priorities should be given to parties that have set down polices for the Shan people. Ethnic people are not running in the whole country. They are only running in areas where their people live. Only the ethnic people understand the feelings of the ethnic people.
Q: Shan people in Sagaing Region have some difficulties with their national ID cards. Both the parents are Shan, but their children are Bamar or Shan-Bamar on the national ID cards. How will you solve the difficulties of the voters?
A: It won’t be possible to solve this Shan-Bamar ID card issue now. We can only handle it when we become a minister. We can only speak the language now. We have lost our language. Literature and culture have been lost for over 60 years. So, what we are saying is different from the Shan language. As we can only speak it, we are weak. We will handle it after we have the authority to do so.
Q: What do the constituencies that you are running in need? What is the perspective of the voters?
A: They mostly want literature and culture because our race is nearly extinct as we didn’t get the right to teach our literature and culture. They feel inconsequential due to a lack of language. So, they want to learn. Also, they want to experience the festivals like the Shan Festival because they want to hold them when they are given the chance. They want to restore them as these have disappeared for four generations.
Q: The ministers that ran in 2010 have also promised to carry out literature and culture in this area. But, it did not happen in reality so what’s your view on this? What kind of promises do you want to give to the public to prevent this?
A: I’m running for the White Tiger Party. Our principle includes these issues. If I win, I will surely carry them out in line with my principle. If I win, Shan language must be taught at school. Shan language means any Shan language. They can teach what they want at school. Another thing is that the White Tiger Party has reached an agreement with other ethnic people so we have more power in making our demands. That’s why I can assure that we will definitely carry them out.
Q: What do you want to say to the voters and the readers?
A: What I want to tell them is that they need to vote for the person who will create their future. They need to understand the voting process well. Our Sagaing Region has four ballot boxes. Three boxes are for the three parliaments. The other box is for the ethnic people. So I want them to carefully think about who has stronger polices for the ethnic people and how are they related before casting their votes.
Translated by Thida Linn with editing by BNI staff.
