It is  a difficult proposition for the forthcoming elections in Shan State East to be ‘free and fair’ as the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) led by Prime Minister Thein Sein is doing what it can to capture all the seats, according to local sources in Kengtung, capital of the Shan State East.

“If it [USDP] does not plan well and loses, Thein Sein would also lose face, because he was a former commander of the (Kengtung-based) Triangle Region Command,” a source said.

Currently, many parties that are to contest in Shan State East are said to be in difficulty recruiting members as most people have already been members of his USDP and some are facing restrictions and intimidation by the military regime officials and intelligence personnel such as Special Branch(SB) and Military Affair Security (MAS) officials, a source said.

For instance, one of the local parties, the Shan National Democratic Party (SNDP), which is currently seen to be garnering popular support in Shan State, is having a problem recruiting members in the East including big towns like Kengtung and Tachilek. It has been recruiting members in Kengtung for over two months, but so far only about 30 people have applied for membership.

“Not only ordinary people but also village headmen in the areas are being threatened by local authorities and USDP members,” he said. “They do not threaten in an obvious way, but they would always follow and ask questions if a party has finished a meeting with villagers. They ask what the party talked about.”

On the other hand, many people and village headmen automatically become USDP members because they were members of its parent organization USDA (Union Solidarity and Democratic Association). At present, local people in the areas are saying that no party could jostle the USDP out, a source said.

“If it is difficult for a party to get support in Tachilek and Kengtung, it will be more difficult to get it in the rural areas,” an elderly source in Kengtung said.

The SNDP faced a similar situation in Tachilek in early August when it went there to form a branch committee, said another source. “Few showed interest. So it had to return empty handed.”

SB and MAS officials like to follow the party on its recruiting and campaign trips, according to local. With regards to such restrictions and intimidation, the SNDP chairman Sai Ai Pao has already submitted a complaint to the Election Commission (EC).
By contrast, the SB and MAS officials are reportedly favouring the Lahu National Democratic Party (LNDP), said an informed source, who has a close relationship with the LNDP leadership. “SB and MAS have been helping them arrange meetings and also supporting its travel costs. It is clearly a divide and rule maneuver.”

The SNDP, nevertheless, said it will try its best to reach every area despite the odds. It has almost finished opening branch offices in Shan State North and South, a member said, but only two in the East.  The regime however has not yet set the date for the elections.