Election chief downplays US concerns

The UEC chairman Tin Aye, at a press conference at Myanmar Peace Centre in Yangon, said: “US Republican Senator Mitch McConnell said further normalisation of relations between the US and Myanmar would be ‘much more difficult’ if the election doesn't reflect the people's will. I don’t fear. How can they measure this?”

 “We accept the fact that elections reflect the people’s will even if our favourite party loses. Whatever party wins, it must have come from the public will. If they want to impose sanctions just because their favourite party did not win the election, I don’t care about that. We don’t care even if they impose sanctions 100 times.”  

To clarify the compilation of voter lists, he said the lists were based on household registration so there could be mistakes if those lists were incorrect. He said the aim of announcing the voter lists beforehand was to find mistakes and amend them. 

He said the reason many people had the same birthday (June 30, for example) listed was that they mentioned only their birth year in their household registration lists.  

“We take great care if the birth year is 1997. We see whether the voter will be 18 year or not. For other years, we mention June 30, 1984, or June 30, 1992, for example. They ask why it is. We did so because a complete date of birth has to be used by the computers. If dates of birth are wrong, voters can come to us for amendment. We have discussed correcting the voter lists with them [the NLD],” said Tin Aye. 

He said the NLD issued a statement on June 4 saying it had cooperated with the commission on this matter after sending the open letter the day before. But all details about their discussions and how the problems were solved were not mentioned in the statement, he added. 

“They should write how mistakes have been mended. We did not respond to that. But international pressure comes,” he added.

Among challenges UEC is facing is the sporadic fighting in some areas, including in the Kokang Self-Administered Zone.

Tin Aye admitted that elections in the region would be possible only when the ceasefire agreement is signed and fighting stops.

He said the UEC cannot compile a voter list in the Kokang and Wa areas because they cannot establish UEC branches in those areas. For the same reason, elections were not held in the Wa region in 2010. 

“We made conditions for the Kokang and Wa areas for the 2015 general election. If the situation in Kokang area is stable in one or two month’s time, we will collect voter lists. Voter lists can be announced if we can hold elections in those areas. If stability in Kokang area is restored, we can hold the election. However, it will be difficult to hold the election in Wa areas. We will suspend the election if a natural disaster or instability occurs, otherwise the election would not be free and fair,” said the UEC chairperson.

The UEC is has planned to hold elections in all townships in Kachin State, but it will suspend elections in townships in case of unrest.

 

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Everyone waits for six-party talks: Aye Maung

Myanmar Eleven

The next round of six-party talks should be held as soon as possible if the government has any desire to change the Constitution, according to MP Dr Aye Maung.

“Six-way talks are essential. It is a must. The Union Parliament has called for six-party talks as they need to be held. Whether the government wants to amend the charter is linked with the success of these talks,” the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party president said.

The first six-party talks, attended by President Thein Sein, both parliamentary Speakers,  Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services General Min Aung Hlaing, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Dr Aye Maung, representing ethnic groups, were held at the presidential residence on April 10. 

He added that amendments to each section of the Constitution could only be made after the talks. The president and the commander-in-chief needed to accept and understand that point, he added, and only then could the political crisis be solved. 

Aye Maung said: “This is a political crisis. The activities of the political parties in and out of Parliament and all the armed national groups demonstrate the same attitude towards charter change.” 

But it was questionable whether the next round of six-party talks would happen, he added.

“Some sections of the charter should be amended now. And the remaining sections should be amended in the future. Charter change requires the signatures of 20 per cent of MPs. Ethnic minority parties and the National League for Democracy will sign it along with the Union Solidarity and Development Party. The USDP alone is not enough. We all demand it. We will choose the way of amending the charter. At the same time, further talks are still needed. We all agree that charter change is impossible without a collective effort.”

An urgent proposal to amend Tables 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 without a referendum as described in Section 436 (b) of the Constitution has been submitted to the Parliament.