IMNA – Though the All Mon Regions Democracy Party has requested that all village headman in Mon State be democratically elected by the people of the village, the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) government has selected the headmen in Mon villages and town wards in Mudon Township and Chaung Zone Township.
AMRDP, the National Unity Party, and the USDP were allowed to pick their own candidate for the village headman selection. The parties believed that the election would consist of villagers picking between the three candidates. Instead, the Township Administration Officials held a small meeting of government servants and former village heads and selected their own village heads.
“In our Mudon Township, two village heads are already selected. They started to select in small villages first and then gradually to the bigger villages. On June 17th, the Township Administration Officials came down to Phel-doe village, and called a meeting with around 20 people from the village. And then they just selected the candidate from the former village head,” said a Phel-doe villager.
Most former village heads are leaders of the USDP. Most of them are appointed by the former military regime or by the commanders of the Burmese Army.
But, according to a Phel-doe villager, USDP candidate, Nai Aung Kyi, did not want to accept the position and then, the Township officials selected Nai Hla Maung, a candidate from AMRDP. Phel-doe village is primarily Mon.
Similarly, village head selections have been conducted in Chaung Zone Township, in an island to the west of Moulmein, the capital of Mon State.
Doctor Min Ngwe Soe, the general secretary of the AMRDP, said to IMNA that the villagers do not want the method of selecting the village head to be conducted in the ways of the previous government. They want to practice the democratic way of electing their headmen in all Mon villages.
The government adopted a rule to select the village heads from at least three village candidates. Therefore, the political parties put their own candidates up for election. In March, all parties proposed their candidates to the respective township administrations.
The USDP government announced in their administration procedure that all village headmen are government servants and they must practice according to ten principles; these include having no further connection to their political party, no corruption, not being opportunist, committing no crimes, and that they must be respected by the villagers.
