The military junta is employing different means to woo voters in Burma to vote for its civilian proxy political party the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) for the November ...
The military junta is employing different means to woo voters in Burma to vote for its civilian proxy political party the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) for the November 7 polls.
While it is alleged to be using muscle in Kachin State in Karenni State it has promised a Chinese made Tawlawgyi (ploughing machine) to each village chief for mobilizing voters for the USDP in the ensuing general election.
Burmese Army troops based in Bawlake led by Major Aye Cho invited village chiefs from 17 villages in late August to tell them to persuade villagers to vote for USDP, local sources said.
"The Major promised our village chiefs that if the USDP wins the election, each village chief will be given a Chinese made Tawlawgi. The Mawchi old car road will be rebuilt and better transportation will be ensured on new roads to each village to be constructed," said a village chief, who attended the meeting.
A local observer, however, does not have much faith on the junta’s promises. "We have to wait till the polls are over to see whether the regime will keep its promise," he added.
The media in exile say that the 2008 Constitution provides an unfair advantage to the USDP. Meanwhile, the Karenni community has let it be known that it will not vote for any party that supports the regime's 2008 constitution.
Taw Reh, Director of the Karenni Documentation Research Group, said "People in remote areas did not vote for the constitution, but the army took signed bloc votes from each village from the village heads. They used this as proof that the villagers approved the constitution."
According to Karenni sources inside, the Karenni people in Loikaw division, Loilay Lay villagers have been warned by the Burmese authorities that they will be watched closely in the election.
The authorities threatened villagers that if they voted against the USDP they are likely to be punished with forced labour.