Headmen pressured to handpick for USDP membership

July 6th, 2010

Jaloon Htaw : Contrary to election laws laid out by Burma’s 2010 election commission, the new government backed political party is pressuring village headmen in Mon State to gather up to 50 residents from each village to join their party.

Last week members of the military government political party, the Union Solidarity Development Party, (USDP) visited village headman from Mudon Township, requesting that they organize 40 to 50 villagers in each village in Mudon township, Mon State, to join their party.

The 2010 election commission which initially announce laws surrounding the election has required all currently registered parties to have recruited 1,000 members within 90 days of the party’s initial registration. Failure to do so will result in the parties deregistration and abolition.

“How can I organize more villagers like this?” a Mudon Township headman said. “The villagers don’t want to join. No one is interested that party.”

The USDP has already made requests to village headman for securing villager support. According to one resident, in the last week of May the USDP asked the village headman to gather 2 people from with in the community member to join the party’s election committee. Later during the first week of June the USDP asked for just 2 members to join the party.

However, for the USDP, which shares subtle connections to the notorious government run civilian community group the Union Solidarity Development Association, the new membership demands seem to indicate the USDP will ostensibly be required to meet the election commission deadline.

“Every village has USDA members. But the villagers aren’t interested in joining the USDP party,” explained the Mudon resident. “So the headman chooses who is close to the headman in the village and who has power in the village for joining as a member with the USDP.”

According to the villager form Kamarwat village, MudonTownship, the village headman has been told he must organize 50 villagers for the USDP.

A local political observer based in Mudon town, told IMNA that he estimated only 25% of the community would be interested in joining the USDP from Mudon township, impart due to a vigorous campaign by the USDA to win villager support for the government by distributing GSM phones to its members previously this year.

The political observer, who is ethnically Mon, added, “I’m not interested in the USDP, and other [Mon] imitation party’s. Now we only think for the Mon party to get more votes and for [them to] win in the election. So we will join the Mon party.”

USDP efforts to organize spread beyond Mudon Township, according to a resident from Chaungzone Township. He stated that with in his community the village headmen had been told to organize 20 to 50 villagers for the USDP.

A university student from Chaungzone who is close to USDA members explained, “They [USDP] came to the village headmen. And the headmen is still organizing now…[but] the villagers don’t want to join.”

Speaking to IMNA about the USDP tactics, Phyo Min Thein, chairman of the Union Development Party (UDP) commented that the party was apparently using the power of current government’s administration to organize support amongst members of the ethic minority groups.

In contrast, the UDP says it will organize in Mandalay, Sagine, Magwe, Tenasserim and Irrawaddy divisions, but faces restrictions after the recently announced election commission No. 2/2010 law that requires party gatherings to give the election commission 1 weeks notice, and also bans slogans and chanting.

Phyo Min Thein added, “All political groups should organize under the rules of election. The USDP should not [be able to] organize like that. It is not allowed by the election rules.”