Q: You will be running again as an independent candidate for the Upper House from Kachin State’s Constituency No 5 so what have you prepared for the upcoming election?

A: I will run for the Upper House’s Constituency No 5. This constituency covers Chipwi, Hsawlaw, and Injangyang. We have campaigned to the constituents from this region to support me. I have called for peace and stability in this region. I already received the votes from the public in the last election. I understand and feel the needs of my people. So, I will carry out the needs of our ethnic people.

Q: What do the residents of Constituency No 5 understand about the election?

A: The people from the constituency have become quite developed. There are campaign organizers from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). They have been making detailed discussions and raising awareness such as how to vote in the election. The public can vote freely. Sometimes, there are language difficulties.

Q: Since you have been an Upper House MP, do you think you will be re-elected again this time? What are the reasons?

A: I believe I will be elected because I have been living in this region for many years. I already know the needs of the local residents. Also, I have received recognition from the residents. So, what I want to say is that I will work on obtaining a guarantee for my region. My priority is peace and security of the region.

Q: What kind of promises will you give to the constituents from the areas where you are running? If you win the election, what kind of changes will you carry out for the region in the parliament?

A: For the region, it will be regional peace and stability. It’s difficult to travel in the region. The roads and bridges are bad. We need to develop education and health. We need to do more to fulfill their needs. If there are no more armed conflicts, bloodshed, and battles, the region will become developed. Regional development will not run smoothly if there are still battles. When it becomes a warzone, talented and young people are used to war. This is the depletion of human resources. We can’t do anything for development.

Q: I’ve heard that commodity prices are high in Chipwi, Hsawlaw, and Injangyang due to bad roads. Also, telecommunication is still problematic so what will you do to develop them?

A: I plan to improve the telecommunication under both the ministry’s program and also regional programs. The election has been canceled in many village tracts in the Kachin State so democracy has been lost. So, we need peace in these areas. Roads and communication and telecommunication can be built quickly. What we really need is stability and peace. No matter what government takes office, rule of law, strong administration and peace are required.

Q: Recently, the National League for Democracy (NLD) wasn’t allowed to campaign in Chipwi Township and its members have been attacked. As it is a multi-party democracy election, there were talks to allow the parties to campaign freely, but the NLD had to turn back without getting to campaign in your Special Region 1. What do you want to say about this issue?

A: Although I’m an independent candidate, I have started to support the USDP. I have been carrying out their policies in the past. Also, the region already has an ethnic-based party called the Unity and Democracy Party of Kachin State (UDPKS). The local residents have already supported them.
They have already campaigned with their own groups in the region so there aren’t any extra people. When other parties come to campaign at this time, I believe this is kind of like destroying the regional campaign. So, we don’t welcome the destruction of stability by other parties. It’s difficult for ethnic parties to carry out regional development. It’s very difficult for them to carry it out. We cannot carry out development of our races without the government’s support.

Name: U Zakhung Ting Ying

Age: 75

Party: Independent candidate

Parliament: Upper House – Kachin State Constituency No 5

Education: First Arts (Science), Geology

Race: Kachin from the Lachik subgroup and the Ngochan clan
Occupation: Chairman, Kachin State Special Region 1, Forever Peace League