Thuta Linn — “People have lied to the public in the past. They promised to do this and that, but you can’t find them afterward. They have disappeared. So, I have told them I won’t give such kind of promises. All I can do is submit their needs directly to the government,” says U Samar Kyaw Phar Naw a candidate from the Kachin State Democracy Party (KSDP) running for an upper house seat representing Kachin State Consituency No 5.
Q: Have you already started your campaign now?
A: I will return to doing campaign rallies in the next three, four, or five days. This time, I will go to Hsawlaw and also Chipwi as well.
Q: Are there any difficulties for the party in campaigning?
A: There aren’t any difficulties in the areas where we did the campaigns. There’s only the difficulties with the road and communication. Some areas can only be travelled on foot. Commodity prices are also extremely high.
Q: NLD members were beaten up and prevented from campaigning in Chipwi Township so does your party have any similar difficulties?
A: There aren’t any difficulties in campaigning in this area. When we went there earlier this month, I saw an independent candidate holding campaign rallies before we arrived in Chipwi. When we did our campaign, the people’s militia [Pyithu Sit in Burmese] was travelling around with guns. Sometimes, they stopped to listen to us. But, we weren’t prevented from campaigning like the incident with the NLD.
Q: How much expectation do you have in winning in this Constituency No 5?
A: I don’t expect much because I’m from the Kachin Jinphaw race. Most of the residents from here are Lhao Vo (Maru) and Lisu races so my language couldn’t penetrate much. When we were campaigning in Rawang areas in Upper Khaung Lan Phoo, I had to speak through an interpreter. I have to send pamphlets to some faraway areas via messengers to have them distributed. There are only three or four villages with over 40 households in that area. Other parties appointed those from ethnic tribes from this area as representatives.
Q: What’s the view of voters on the election in this state?
A: They listen to whichever party come to give speeches, but they don’t know what to do. They said they don’t know who the candidates are. So, I have been explaining to them what politics is and what the government is rather than rallying for the party. I have been raising public awareness more than campaigning. They asked me to explain about democracy as parties [running in this area] have the word ‘democracy’ in their names. They don’t seem to understand politics much. I’m relying more on Injangyang and Chipwi area.
Q: Although you don’t have any hope to win in the election, what kind of promises will you give to the public from this area and what will you carry out first if you win the election and can get into the parliament?
A: Residents from this area have told me that people have lied to them in the past. They promised to do this and that, but you can’t find them afterward. They have disappeared. So, I have told them that I won’t give such kind of promises. All I can do is to submit their needs directly to the government. Then, I will make the demands to the government. I want to give the public a chance to make direct contact with the government.
Name: U Sama Kyaw Phar Naw
Age: 74
Party: Kachin State Democracy Party
Parliament: Upper House, Kachin State Constituency No 5
Education: Completed 9th Standard
Race: Kachin
Occupation: Farmer
Translated by Thida Linn with editing by BNI staff.
