Sai Ai Pao, elected in the State Assembly category in Shan State’s Hsenwi township, told SHAN he will be working in the best interests of Shan State, all ethnic nationalities and the Union.

“As for how, I won’t be able to answer right away as we are yet to hold a meeting (among the party’s elected representatives),” he added.

His Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) won 50 seats in Shan State, six in Kachin State and one in Mandalay Region.

Asked whether he was satisfied with the outcome, he replied, “Of course not. But everybody has to start somewhere and that’s where we are going to start our work.”

He quickly brushed off speculations that his party was in cahoots with the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). “We would have won more seats if we were,” he said.

What about Shans, who won under other parties’ tickets? “That’s no problem,” he replied. “We have only to look back to how Mrs Hillary Clinton and Mr Barack Obama were fighting against each other during the presidential elections. But after Mr Obama was nominated, they mutually ended the fight and worked together. We can do the same.”

Born in 1946 in Namkham. Taught at St.Augustine and TTC high school in Rangoon. Received BA (Geography). General Secretary of the 1990 winning party Shan Nationlities League for Democracy (SNLD), 1989-95. Makes a living as salt merchant. Lives in Rangoon.