Kalemyo USDA hits election campaign trail

Kalemyo USDA hits election campaign trail
The Union Solidarity and Development Association of Kalemyo has been campaigning for the forthcoming general elections scheduled for 2010, from the end of March, in some villages of Kalemyo Township, Sagaing Division of northwestern Burma...

The Union Solidarity and Development Association of Kalemyo has been campaigning for the forthcoming general elections scheduled for 2010, from the end of March, in some villages of Kalemyo Township, Sagaing Division of northwestern Burma.

According to a report, the social activist group might change into a political party for the proposed elections, as it has already been helping the SPDC government, by persuading the citizens of Burma to vote. Currently, the USDA is campaigning for the ruling party.

During the last week of March 2009, some leaders of USDA went to the Natchaung tracks – Ngapha village, 17 miles from Kalemyo and they asked one person from each house not to vote for the other political parties, a villager said.

Besides, two leaders of USDA along with the village council members have been campaigning in Sakhankyi village of Kalemyo, from 28 March, 2009.

In fact, the USDA members are divided into groups of two or three members each, and they have been going around 20 villages of Kalemyo, for election campaigns.

The USDA was established in 1993, by SPDC leader General Than Shwe. Although the group has been viewed as a social activist group by the people, yet currently it is aspiring to become a political party, in order to participate in the proposed 2010 general elections.