Min Thuta – The All Mon Region Democratic Party (AMDP) has selected two delegates to meet with the Union Election Commission (UEC) on 27 July, according to the chairman of AMDP.
The party’s two representatives include Chairman Nai Ngwe Thein and Nai Hla Khaing, a member of AMDP’s Central Executive Committee. The two plan to travel to Naypyidaw, the new capital of Burma (Myanmar), where the UEC is based.
“The UEC has invited representatives from all 37 political parties — those that registered and participated in the recent elections. I don’t know what the Commission will tell us. But we are preparing a report, explaining how the election was not fair or free,” said Nai Ngwe Thein.
In the Kyaikmayaw Constituency of Mon State, the candidate from the military’s proxy party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), won in the elections against AMDP Chairperson Nai Ngwe Thein, even though Nai Ngwe Thein entered the election as a Pyithu Hluttaw (the lower house of the national parliament) candidate with a slim ‘advanced vote’.
The Union Election Commission invited two delegates from each party (the chairman, party secretary, or Central Executive Committee member of the party) to attend the meeting without fail beginning at 10 a.m. on 27 July, stated the local media.
“We plan to hold a Central Committee meeting when we arrive back to Moulmein after we meet with the Union Election Commission. We will discuss about the issue of Mon ministers from the party who couldn’t give time to party activities,” said Nai Ngwe Thein.
Dr. Min New Soe, Ministry of Social Affairs and Culture, and Nai Lawi Aung (a.k.a. Naing Myint Swe), Ministry of Energy and Electric Power, have been appointed as Mon State ministers. For Karen State, Naing Chit Oo was elected as Minister of National Races Affairs, and Naing Min Soe Thein was chosen to be the Minister of Energy and Electric Power.
AMDP won 16 seats out of 34 it contested in the November 2010 elections.
AMDP obtained two ministerial positions in the Mon State Government, as well as two other ministerial positions in the Karen State Government.
Against internationally accepted principles of democracy, the union government and local state governments were not formed with the winning political party, the USDP, but they also invited opposition parties to take ministerial positions, effectively weakening the voices of opposition parties. Both the union and local governments are almost entirely led by retired former military commanders.
According to various reports by election watchdog groups and media organizations outside of the country (media inside the country is blocked from reporting all details of the elections), the UEC favoured USDP to win the elections, and collected lots of ‘advanced votes’ for the winning party.
