Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) members in Monghsu township, Southern Shan State are still being denied access to voters’ list and polling station officers’ list even though the election is only 8 days away, local sources said.

“Till date, the SNDP is yet to know how many voters there are in the township and who will be in charge of polling stations,” a local resident said.

Sai Nawng, a SNDP candidate, who will contest for the state legislature was said to have asked Monghsu Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) Sai Sam Win to allow him to have the list of eligible voters on 27 October, because the township election commission had refused to inform.

“Sai Sam Win replied that he could not grant it either,” the source said. “He even said that it would be good if no one comes to vote and no one comes to see the polling station.”

There will be only two parties competing in Monghsu, SNDP and the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

So far SNDP candidates’ names were said to have not been listed in some villages like Pangpoi village tract, according to a SNDP member.

“Without having access to the voters’ list and polling station officers, how can we know which place and how many votes we receive,” he said. “When we went and asked for them from the election commission, they told us to go and ask from village headmen or somewhere. They were kicking us like a ball to one another.”

According to election watchers in the town, the number of voters in some places is increasing and in other areas it is decreasing. Likewise, the number of voters in some areas in Panglong sub-township (Loilem township) and Kehsi township has also reported decreased. The areas are reportedly strong support bases for the SNDP.

“Why is it that government people are breaking their own laws?”, an exasperated businessman recently asked a friendly military officer. To which he received the following reply: “Because there are only two kinds of law in Burma: Now, one kind (khu ta-myoe) and later, another kind (nauk ta-myoe).”