Maungdaw: To mobilize and woo the Muslim community in Maungdaw and Buthidaung for the forthcoming election, the Union Solidarity Development Association party (USDA), is preparing to open a "Regional Development Office".
Deputy Home Minister U Phone Swe, along with 20 Muslim businessmen from Rangoon and elsewhere in Burma, arrived in Maungdaw yesterday to open the office.
"Phone Swe arrived in Maungdaw yesterday afternoon along with several Muslim businessmen. We went to the district office to receive them. They were visiting for poll campaign," an official from the Maungdaw District office said.
U Aung Zaw Win and U Aung Naing, well-known Muslim businessmen active leaders in the programme, also accompanied U Phone Swe.
"U Aung Zaw Win and U Aung Naing have distributed a lot of funds for the regional development programme. The office will be opened to carry out development in the region with their donation," the official said.
According to a local source, the regional development office in Maungdaw is likely to open today. During the opening ceremony, Deputy Home Minister Phone Swe will deliver a speech to the Muslim community asking for their support for the USDA party.
A businessman from Maungdaw said, "The Regional Development Office will target the Muslim community in the Maungdaw and Buthidaung area. The USDA will mobilize the Muslim community from the office by giving assistance for constructing roads, schools, and clinics in the area. But the funds will be contributed by Muslim businessmen, not the government," the official said.
Phone Swe and Western Command Commander General Thaung Aye have been assigned by the higher authorities in Naypyidaw with mobilizing Muslim people to vote for the junta-supported party in the election, said another source.
The government also has plans to issue ID cards labeled as "Myanmar Muslim" to members of the Muslim community in western Arakan State, in order to lure them to support the USDA party.
Till now, the military authorities have issued white national ID cards to Muslims in northern Arakan. They identify the holders as Bengali Muslims who are not entitled to citizenship in Burma.
Some other Muslim leaders in northern Arakan reportedly have plans to form a political party called the Democratic Human Rights Party to contest against the USDA party in the election. The party still has to submit its application to the Election Commission to officially form a political party.
