As the last date for registration by political parties with the Burmese Election Commission draws near, apprehension of strong action against defaulters has grown. The main opposition party of Burma, the National League for Democracy has decided not to register with the Election Commission protesting the flawed electoral laws by the military junta and hence it is waiting for the bad news. Political observers suspect that the regime may not only de-register NLD by the first week of May, but also adopt harsh action against its leader and workers.
Meanwhile, Burma Liberation Front, an exile pressure group, has raised its voice in favour of allowing NLD to remain a political party. In a recent letter to junta supremo Senior General Than Shwe, the group demanded that the government should allow the NLD to function as a legal political party even though it has decided to boycott the proposed general election some time later this year.
Describing the chairman of State Peace and Development Council, as a military dictator, the group said, “You and your military regime in Burma have been trying your hardest to press ahead with your sham roadmap for a fake election in Burma. You said there would be an election in Burma, but a date has not been fixed yet. However your regime has already unlawfully passed unfair election laws to make sure real pro-democracy political parties and their leaders cannot take part in the elections”.
Alleging that the Burmese regime has “put all pro-democracy politicians and activists in jail, because of the blatant lack of fairness and transparency in the electoral process”, it added,” all mainstream pro-democracy parties have decided to boycott your fake election 2010”.
The letter also claimed that Than Shwe planned to “form a puppet civilian government under the military's control” in Burma after the polls. Mentioning some senior military officers and ministers’ recent decision to shed uniforms and launch political parties with to contest, rig the votes and declare themselves as election winners, the latter asserted, “The whole world understands that your election laws are unfair, your election is fake and your post-election puppet government will be illegitimate”.
“In addition to your oppression on pro-democracy political parties ahead of the elections, your regime is also intimidating ethnic national groups to turn their self-defence forces into Border Guard Forces under the control of your army. Almost all ethnic groups have refused to accept your demands, and now you have deployed troops in ethnic nationality areas in preparation for an ethnic cleansing in those areas immediately after your fake elections,” the letter pointed out.
It concluded with the demand for releasing all political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi immediately so that they can take part in the election and also change electoral laws to ensure the process is transparent, free and inclusive. The group also asked the junta “to stop your ethnic cleansing plans and to let ethnic national forces to exist peacefully” in Burma.
