dissatisfaction with the way their respective parties made decisions during the selection process of the Hluttaw candidates for the 2015 elections.
“Our party’s inspecting and electing Hluttaw candidate group already decided for me to compete for Amyotha Hluttaw in the Kyaikmayaw Township constituency. However, on August 3, the group negotiated with me to compete for State Hluttaw. But I did not accept it. I told the group that I will resign if I am not allowed to run for the Amyotha Hluttaw post,” said Nai Sein Htun, member of the MNP’s central committee and (former) chairman of Kyaikmayaw Township.
Nai Sein Htun continued that on August 11, he mailed a letter to the township’s election sub-commission office. The letter stated that Nai Sein Htun has resigned from the chairman post of Kyaikmayaw Township and from the MNP. In the future, he is not concerned with party activities. The township’s MNP party [branch] office located at his house is shut down, and a letter was also sent to the township’s administration office and the MNP headquarters.
“Last July 27, at the party central executive meeting, the votes were separated and decided. For me, I was appointed with the decision that I will compete as Pyithu Hluttaw candidate of Kyaikmayaw. But some members from the candidate selecting group substituted other candidates in our places. What they are doing is not fair, rather, it is very dictatorial. Therefore, I resign from the party right away,” said Nai Ye Zaw, a member of the MNP’s central executive group.
“When our party’s inspecting and electing Hluttaw candidate group selected candidates preliminarily, Nai Ye Zaw was selected. The central committee did select him. But because all 3 chairmen from the group did not support Nai Ye Zaw, he was removed from the candidate list,” said Nai Soe Myint, Joint-secretary (1) of the MNP.
However, according to the Union Election Commission (UEC), Nai Ye Zaw already submitted to the UEC on August 13 to compete for constituency No.2 of Kyaikmayaw Township as independent candidate.
Likewise, the AMDP’s Amyotha Hluttaw representative Nai Htun Ohn and Pyithu Hluttaw representative Nai Thein Aung for Thanbyuzayat Township would resign from their party but would continue to run for the constituencies that they had won as individual candidates independently.
According to confirmations from the Mon parties, 45 candidates of the MNP, 35 candidates of the AMDP and 4 of candidates of the Women’s Party (Mon) will compete for distinct seats at the Hluttaw (Parliament).
MNP, formerly of the party name ‘Mon National Democratic Front’ (MNDF), had 19 Hluttaw candidates compete in the 1990 elections. The AMDP, which was the only Mon party at the time, contested in the 2010 elections with 34 Hluttaw candidates.
