“Kyain Seikgyi Township’s residents do not want to lose their voting rights because of security reasons”
Sa Ai Sue — The Karen Information Center (KIC) interviewed Sa Kyaw Swar, village tract administrator from Kyonkhawun village in Karen State’s Kyain Seikgyi Township. He has lost his voting rights due to the cancellation of voting in many areas in his township.
Q: Kyonkhawun village tract is included among 38 village tracts in Kyain Seikgyi Township where polling stations will not open according to statistics from the Election Commission. Why do you think the polling station will not open?
A: Kyonkhawun village tract is included among the village tracts where polling stations won’t open. According to them (the township election commission), it is due to security reasons. But, other village tracts where polling stations will be opened….if I were to talk about the nearest one…Taungdi village is only five miles from our village tract.
Roads and communications are good. Actually, the polling station should also be open in our village tract. Even though they use the security as the reason, a ceasefire is now being carried out. Also, the ethnic armed groups from here aren’t like before. They are moving around freely.
It was different in the past. The road and communications are good here. There’s a high school and respective religious schools. We believe the inability to open the polling station shouldn’t happen.
The candidates will suffer a lot. There are many people over the age of 18. Moreover, U Saw Aung Kyaw Min, the current speaker of Karen State Parliament, lives in Kyonkhawun village. It won’t be wrong to say this isn’t his native area.
Q: I’ve heard that the voter list was first posted in Kyonkhawun village tract and was taken down later. Can you explain the situation?
A: According to the clerk of the village administrator, the Election Commission had the basic voter list posted. So, we posted it at the administration office. Shortly afterwards, they asked us to take it down. The clerk himself took it down. But, I don’t know what they did next with the Election Commission.
Q: Are the residents from this area interested in the election?
A: Basically, most of the residents are farmers so they lack basic education. Also, they have never participated in an election before. What I mean to say is that the election wasn’t held here back in 2010 due to security reason so they have no election experience.
But, one-third of the residents have had basic education and are interested in the election. Some of them listen and read news so they are interested in the election. Most of the residents want to vote as it is their citizen right.
Q: Although the polling station won’t be opened due to security reason, the census was collected. Can you tell us about this situation?
A: The census was collected in our area in 2014. Nothing happened back then.
The Immigration Minister U Khin Yi, the Karen National Union (KNU) Dupalaryar District’s chairman Saw Shwe Mawn, and the State Parliament’s Speaker and Upper House MP U Saw Mya Win came to see the collection of the census in the village.
Q: Haven’t the MPs or local authorities called for polling stations to open?
A: I haven’t heard anything about it because the local villagers know the polling station won’t open. We don’t know who will speak on our behalf to open the polling station. It’s not easy for us to ask them to open the polling station as we are only villagers. Actually, the matter of opening or closing of the polling station is concerned with respective for authorities. They need to ask for the opening of the polling station.
Q: How many villages are in Kyonkhawun village tract? How many households are there and what is the total population?
A: There are five villages in our village tract. They are Kyonkhawun, Myainggone, Winhtaung, Nankwi, and Seikphoogone villages. There are over 400 households in Kyonkhawun. There are over 100 households per village in the remaining four villages. Altogether, there are around 1,000 households. There are around 2,000 people over the age of 18. I’m quite sure there are around 10,000 eligible voters in the entire village tract.
Q: Based on all the all scenarios, what’s your view on whether or not the 2015 Election will be free and fair?
A: We have to see whether or not it will be free and fair when it is held. Especially, they are now trying to have transparency. There are also observer groups. We have never experienced an election before.
People said there wasn’t any fairness in the 2010 [Election]. We can only observe the upcoming election as we have no prior experience. I can’t say whether or not it will be fair, but we are losing our ethnic rights now. There are also ethnic parties and Karen parties in Karen State. As a Karen national, there are many people who want to vote for the Karen party. As a citizen, I have lost many rights.
