Kachin leaders are all set to register a new political party of ethnic Kachins in northern Burma to contest the 2010 general elections announced by the Burmese ruling junta, the leaders said.
The political party representing the state, the Kachin State Progressive Party (KSPP), or Jinghpaw Mungdaw Rawtjat Pati in Kachin was formed recently in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State by the Kachin State Interim Committee (KSIC), said KSIC chairman Dr. Manam Tu Ja.
The KSIC, or Jinghpaw Mungdaw Pranwan Komiti in Kachin was formed on June 20 last year by the leadership of the state-based Kachin National Consultative Assembly (KNCA) and the three Kachin ceasefire groups--- Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K) and Lasang Awng Wa Peace Group.
Dr. Manam Tu Ja, also Vice-president No. II of KIO, told KNG, the name of the party KSPP was coined for the holistic development of people in Kachin State in social, cultural, political, educational and economic sectors.
He added the KSPP will be registered as an official political party once the ruling junta authorizes forming political parties in the country soon to allow contesting the 2010 general elections in keeping with the junta’s seven-step roadmap to so-called disciplined-democracy.
At the moment, the KSPP is not an official political party. However the KSIC members have travelled to different areas of Kachin State and mobilised people to participate in the 2010 elections, according to people in Kachin State.
Dr. Manam Tu Ja said, people of different races and political parties in Kachin State can join the KSPP but they must leave their organizations.
The KSIC chairman Dr. Manam Tu Ja totally denied the news written by Yin Yin (Naypyitaw) on January 26--- stating that he was a member playing a leading role in the Canada-based United Democratic Party of Myanmar (UDP), chaired by Kyaw Myint, also known as Michael Hua Hu which will contest the 2010 elections in Burma.
Dr. Tu Ja said, he was invited to join the UDP in November last year by U Ye Htoon, vice-chairman of UDP based in Burma’s former capital Rangoon over telephone but he rejected the offer. Since then, he has had no links or communication with the UDP, added Dr. Tu Ja.
