Civil servants fear vote rigging
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Fears of vote rigging are escalating, with the latest expressed by staff and their families at the state-run Myanma locomotive workshop in Insein.
They said they had to give their voter list numbers to their managers in response to an order from above.
"We were asked to hand over the numbers for staff and our families. We were told we had to give them," said a civil servant with 15 years’ experience.
He said no reason was given, adding that it was an order from above.
Another staff member said on condition of anonymity that they had no choice but to give their numbers as they feared being transferred to other regions.
"I didn't know what they would do if we refused. It's in their hands. If a civil servant defies an instruction, the consequences will be known when the next orders come out. It may be a transfer. They won't directly get us into trouble. We will be secretly sent to other regions. We could be transferred to Buthidaung or Maungdaw [in Rakhine State], Mawlamyine in Mon State or Kachin State. The power is in their hands," said the staff member.
Another employee who has been in service for eight years was worried that their votes would be invalid.
He said: "What if our votes become invalid when we vote because they have already voted with our voter list numbers?"
Zaw Min Oo, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Rail Transportation, came out to quash the fears. He said that the numbers were collected just to check who were not on the list and if the data of those on the list needs correcting.
"We did nothing to infringe the law," he said.
Kyaw Zin Moe from Insein Township National League for Democracy expressed concern, describing it as a threat and unacceptable.
Ko Ko, chairman of Yangon Region election sub-commission, said: "Any dishonest act cannot be exposed now because we are in the run-up to the election. If there is any electoral fraud, it will emerge during the election period. Complaints can be made to our commission."
Soe Thein, chairman of the election sub-commission in Insein, said the staff members from the locomotive workshop came to the office and asked for voter list numbers for them and their families.
