Most villages in Mudon Township, Mon State, continue to be administered by former village and ward administrators despite a recent selection process for new local administrators, as few people were willing to take on the role, local residents said.
By the end of July, new ward and village administrators had been selected only in Myoma Ward No. 3, Taungpa village, Htonman, Kwankabi, Nyaungkone, Ahkhun village, Weakali, and several wards in Ka Mar Wet town.
In most other urban wards and villages across the township, former administrators who have served for many years have remained in office without any changes, according to a woman from Mudon Township.
“We ended up choosing the same people again. Villagers gathered in small numbers to nominate new candidates, but no one wanted to compete or take on the position. In areas controlled by the military, whoever becomes the administrator, the military still holds the real power. In Mudon, revolutionary activities are also taking place, so administrators face difficulties from both sides,” she said.
Residents also said those selected as new administrators are mainly people with close ties to the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) or individuals whom the military junta can easily influence.
A resident of Ka Mar Wet also criticized the selection process for Myoma Ward No. 3, saying it lacked transparency and involved only a small group of people.
“They only invited people close to the ten-household heads. They said each household could send one representative, but many residents were not informed. Everything was done quietly. Three hundred-household heads were openly saying that only their preferred candidates would be allowed to serve. The process was not transparent,” the resident said.
Since the 2021 military takeover, fewer people have been willing to serve as ward and village administrators because of armed conflict, security risks, and pressure in areas where the military junta and revolutionary forces compete for control. In some areas, authorities have been unable to appoint administrators at all.
A report by the pro-junta Thay Nin Ga Institute for Strategic Studies said Mon State is among the regions with the highest number of assassinations of ward and village administrators nationwide.
Under Myanmar’s Ward or Village Tract Administration Law (2012), the term of office for ward and village administrators is aligned with the presidential term and is limited to no more than two consecutive terms.
The law also gives township administrators significant authority over the appointment process. If a ward or village administrator position becomes vacant, the candidate who received the second-highest number of votes may be appointed. If that person is unable to serve, a suitable hundred-household head may be appointed temporarily until a new selection process is conducted.
