In what seems to be a mockery of the adult franchise system, government employees will be unable to vote for the party of their choice in the advance voting procedure for the ensuing general elections to be conducted by the regime in Rihkhawdar new town, Falam township in Chin state western Burma because it won’t be a secret ballot.

“It will not be a secret vote as the polling booth in-charge will be aware of the votes being cast by the people,” said a local in Rihkhawdar town.

Government employees from town areas have been put in-charge of polling booths in village areas, so they need to exercise their franchise in advance before they travel to their assigned destination. They have to say which party they want to vote for before the concerned polling booth in-charge in their respective areas.

“We have to cast our vote before the election day since we are being sent on duty to remote areas. There will be no ballot papers for us, so we have to say verbally which party we want to vote for to the concerned authorities to note down,” said a government employee in Rihkhawdar town.

The Election Commission has not been able to dispatch ballot papers to all the remote areas till today.

“As government employees it is very difficult for us to vote for the party of our choice in the election,” said a teacher.

In the advance-voting system, a voter has to give his name, father’s name and his identity card number.

“In this method all the employees have to say they want to vote for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP),” said a member of the Block Peace and Development Council in Rihkhawdar new town.

It is learnt that there were 30 people at a public poll campaign by the USDP and 100 people at a poll rally organized by the Chin Progressive Party (CPP) in the last week of October in Rihkhawdar town.