Most of the 850,000 people in Myanmar holding the temporary registration document known as a White Card are living in Rakhine State, the Amyotha Hluttaw Bill Committee reported on March 12.
U Maung Maung Than, the director-general of the Immigration and National Identification Department of the Ministry of Immigration and Population, said in January that 734,453 residents of the state hold White Cards, which allows them to vote and to establish a political party.
In its report, on a draft amendment to the registration law for political parties, the bill committee said allowing White Card holders to form political parties should be phased out in the long-term. It said the parliament should urge Cabinet to act in accordance with the law and allow White Cards to be exchanged for the identity documents known as national registration cards, which are issued to citizens of Myanmar.
Under the draft amendment to the registration law for political parties submitted to the AmyothaHluttaw in August 2013 by Dr Aye Maung (Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, Rakhine), White Card holders would be ineligible to form a party.
AmyothaHluttawMP U Hla Swe (Union Solidarity and Development Party, Magway) objected to the draft, but the upper house agreed that the issue should be discussed.
