Some Mon Unity Party (MUP) representatives in Mon State have invited local residents to discuss regional needs and the difficulties they are facing through parliamentary representative offices opened in townships across Mon areas.
According to MUP representatives, offices have been opened at township party branches to closely listen to public voices and quickly address local needs and problems while working together with the people for regional development.
At first glance, the invitation by Mon Unity Party (MUP) representatives may appear to be a step toward engagement between the party and the public. However, under Myanmar’s current political situation, such invitations amount to little more than symbolic politics without substance, and the MUP now needs to face criticism over its role in building genuine democracy.
The primary responsibility of a political party is to represent the will of the people. Yet today, regional political parties have become little more than instruments used to support the legitimacy of the military junta under its civilian administration image. Under a system where the military controls every sector, how much can party representatives truly do after listening to public concerns? With the military controlling budgets, security, and policies, political parties have been reduced to symbolic actors helping the military administrative system continue functioning.
People across the country are suffering from armed conflict, the military service law, rising commodity prices, and the lack of security. Although the military dictatorship is responsible for these hardships, party representatives have shown little courage to directly criticize it. Parties that focus mainly on securing their place under military influence have failed to stand firmly with the people or demonstrate genuine opposition against the system.
The dignity of a political organization does not come from negotiating within boundaries set by the military, but from how effectively it can challenge the power structure causing public suffering. If political parties truly want public trust, they must speak out against the forced arrests of Mon youths for military service, the daily airstrikes targeting civilians in Mon State, the confiscation of people’s land and property, and the widespread expansion of gambling operations across the state. As opposition parties, they must dare to speak out, stand with the people, and struggle alongside them. As long as they continue cooperating with the military, they will remain far from gaining public trust. Claiming to listen to the people while obediently following military directives only amounts to deceiving the public once again.
What the Mon people need today are not politicians who merely listen to their suffering, but leaders who are willing to identify the root causes of that suffering, criticize them openly, and fight alongside the people. Any organization seeking self-interest while sheltering under military power will not earn the trust of the public.
