Latest protest against move to rejig electoral system slated for November 1

The protest will target Upper House MP Khin Waing Kyi of the National Democratic Force who submitted the original proposal calling for the Union Election Commission to adopt a proportional representation system, rather than the current one in which only the candidate who wins the most votes in a constituency is elected to Parliament. The proposal was approved by the Upper House in June.

She is being targeted in the November 1 protest in North  Okkalapa Township because she failed to consult – or even inform – her constituents about the proposal before submitted it, protest organisers said on October 16  

“We decided on the date at a meeting yesterday [October 15]. All residents from Ward 19 in North Okkalapa Township will take part in the protest to express their opposition against the system and MP Khin Waing Kyi.

MP Khin Wine Kyi told Eleven Media she “warmly welcomed” the protest. “It’s their right to protest within the law. I have no comments about the protest. I warmly welcome it,” she said.

Myat Kyaw, a member of the Public Campaigns Promotion Network, said network members would join the protest as they opposed the introduction of a proportional representation system, which has been described by its critics as a tool for reducing the impact of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party’s popularity.

A protest is also expected to take place against the new system for allocating seats in Parliament on October 26 in Shwe Pyithar Township.

Residents from Pazundaung Township staged a protest against it on September 28. They also protested against Lower House MP Aung Zin, also a member of the National Democratic Force, for supporting the system during a debate on it in the Lower House.  The National Democratic Force comprises former members of the NLD who ran in the contested 2010 election, which was boycotted by the NLD.