Burmese democracy leaders based in New Delhi, India have appealed to the people in Chin state, western Burma to cast the "No vote" rejecting the draft constitution. This appeal was made during a discussion on "No" vote against the SPDC's referendum held in the NCGUB (National Council of Government of Union of Burma) office in New Delhi yesterday.
"We call on the people from Chin state to go to the polling booths and cast the "No" vote to in the referendum which is designed to legitimise army rule", the leaders said.
In case people in Chin state wrongly vote "yes" in the referendum, Chin people will never be given any privilege to choose their own leader or for self determination in the future, Dr. Tint Shwe, Member of Parliament and of NCGUB (Western Area) in-charge added.
The Burmese regime had announced early week this month that the referendum on a newly drafted charter is to be held on May 10. The general elections will be in 2010.
Steven Suan Mang in-charge of foreign affairs of the Zomi National Congress in exile also put across his view from the panel in the discussion that the newly drafted constitution had given reservation seats (25 per cent) to army personnel in every governing body from the state to the village level. Moreover, the participation of ethnic people in the state's administration, jurisdiction and legislative will be constrained.
U Than Sein, Member of Parliament in exile reminded the people of Chin state to be aware of the possibility of votes being manipulated by the junta hand picked polling commission.
"If the people find a rogue during voting, they should immediately inform the opposition groups in respective areas and the media inside Burma and abroad to prevent further tricks by the military regime", U Than Sein added.
The military regime had rejected the proposal of the UN for observers to monitor the polling. Instead, it set up a polling commission in which the USDA, Quarter and village council members were forcibly included.
Recently, military authorities including ministers, commanders, military backed organization the USDA and village council members had launched a campaign in Chin state to approve the constitution in the referendum.
Meanwhile, the regime has announced the referendum laws that carries a three year prison term and a fine of Kyat 100,000 for those who criticise the referendum and tried to disrupt the polling process.
The Referendum Law for the Approval of the Draft Constitution does not bear any deadline for declaring the results of the voting and allows the votes to be canceled in places affected by natural disaster, security breach or other things that could endanger the holding of a free and fair referendum.
A new charter was drafted by over a thousand-odd junta's handed picked delegates in the 14-year long national convention as part of regime's seven step road map to so called disciplined democracy in Burma which began in 1993 after the 1974 constitution was scrapped in 1988.
The draft constitution prohibits Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi or any woman or non-military background to hold state office.
The Burmese junta held general elections in 1990 in which Aung San Suu Kyi' party the NLD won a landslide victory but the election results were ignored by regime.
