The ethnic Kachin political party, Unity and Democracy Party of Kachin State (UDPKS), which has the blessings of the junta, and is the only Kachin party to have been approved by the Union Election Commission to contest the ensuing general election, plans to make good use the state controlled media for poll campaign.

UDPKS will talk about the party’s policies through the state owned media like the radio and the television. The draft contents have been submitted to the authorities today, said a party functionary.

“We will be recording on October 9 and will be broadcasting on October 11,” said UDPKS general secretary Hpaula Kam Hpang.

While broadcasting the party’s propaganda it plans to air the party’s song in Shan, Kachin and Burmese languages.

“The song says the party (UDPKS) is the only party for Kachin State,” said Kam Hpang.

Party song (UDPKS)

“This party will try for urban and rural development,”
“For the good and beauty of our future let us get votes for the Unity and Democracy Party of Kachin State,”
“For the development of federalism all ethnic groups in Kachin State will be united and modernized, be disciplined and develop a democratic country.”

All the contesting parties will get an opportunity to broadcast for 15 minutes on the radio and 15 minutes on television. The broadcasts will end on October 31, a week before the election on November 7.

The same opportunity was provided in the last general election in 1990 for 15 minutes on radio and 15 minutes on television but songs were not allowed to be aired.

UDPKS will contest in nine parliamentary seats from Myitkyina, Waingmaw, Manmaw (Bhamo), N’Mawk (Momauk), Mansi, Mogaung, Mohnyin and N’Jang Yang townships for 2 seats in the people’s legislature, 3 in the national legislature and 4 in the state legislature.

In Kachin State, five parties will be contesting. They are the Burmese junta’s Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), UDPKS, National Unity Party (NUP), Shan National Democratic Party (SNDP) and National Democratic Force (NDF).

However the largest Kachin ethnic political party the Kachin State Progressive Party (KSPP) was not approved by the Union Election Commission on suspicion that it had tenuous links with the armed group the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO). The party ceased to function from September 25.