By-elections ‘will not be free and fair’: Suu Kyi
By FRANCIS WADE
Published: 30 March 2012
Published: 30 March 2012
Burma’s looming by-elections cannot be considered genuinely
free and fair, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said today amid
ongoing reports of foul play against her party.
She told reporters today during a press conference at her
house in Rangoon that there had been “many cases of intimidation” since
campaigning began; including an incident this week in Taungoo in which a
candidate was the target of a catapult attack, although no one was
injured.
Another National League for Democracy (NLD) candidate was
threatened with disqualification due to her father being a foreign
national.
“We are saddened by the fact that the government and the
Union Election Commission haven’t been as firm as they could have been,”
Suu Kyi said.
Today’s event was her first public appearance since being
taken ill last week. After bouts of vomiting and weakness, thought to be
due to exhaustion, her doctor advised her to rest. She said she would
not be doing anymore campaigning, but would spend Saturday evening in
Kawhmu township, where she is targeting one of 44 seats being contested
by the party.
The 66-year-old described her condition as “delicate”,
although she struck a confident pose as she answered taxing questions on
her decision to run for parliament on Sunday.
The move has divided opinion, even within the senior ranks of
her party, and Suu Kyi has had to defend against accusations that she
is compromising her long-fought battle for democracy in Burma in order
to join a government seen by many as a plain-clothed military.
The election fight however is “not just about winning a
seat”, but also to galvanise political awareness among Burmese. That
element of the campaign has been “extremely successful”, she said,
particularly given the number of youths who have turned up to rallies in
support of her.
The NLD has in the past been accused of placing too much
emphasis on the party’s elders whilst sidelining young voices. In recent
years, however, its youth wing has blossomed, and some prominent
younger activists, such as musician and former political prisoner Zayar
Thaw, have joined the ranks.
Anegga, a member of the famed hip hop group Acid, which was
co-founded by Zayar Thaw, thinks the party has a promising future. Also
supporting the NLD’s maiden entrance to parliament, he told DVB that one
person in particular was boosting the party’s credentials among the
youth.
“Lawyer Pho Phyu is very active, and is one of hundreds of
young people now joining the political field,” Anegga said. Pho Phyu
knows the dangers of challenging the regime in Burma, having spent
several spells in prison for his work in defending aggrieved farmers.
Likewise
has Zayar Thaw, who has rapidly become a key figure in the party and
whose appeal to young voters is enormous. He is spearheading the NLD’s
attempts to lure more youth in by fusing popular culture and politics,
evidenced by a concert tonight in downtown Rangoon in which Acid will
encourage the audience to vote for another popular NLD candidate, Phyu
Phyu Tin.
Suu Kyi also said her many weeks of frenetic canvassing had
met with success in Burma’s ethnic regions. In the past she has
struggled to cast herself as a legitimate political figurehead among
minority groups, but she said the response she received during rallies
in Kachin state, Shan state and Mon state had been “very positive”.
Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi Expresses Doubts on Election’s Integrity
Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is expressing doubts about the fairness of Sunday’s by-elections, which are considered a crucial barometer of the government’s commitment to political reform. The Nobel Peace laureate held a news conference with journalists.
Two days before the opening of the polls for Burma’s April 1st by-election, candidate Aung San Suu Kyi addressed journalists, diplomats, and observers at a news conference in the garden at her home.
The pro-democracy leader fell ill last week after two months of nonstop campaigning across the country, where she had been greeted by thousands of adoring supporters. She said her grueling schedule has left her feeling physically “delicate,” but that would not deter her from spending the night in her constituency, the village of Kawhmu.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who is favored to win her constituency, was quick to point out that the election cannot be termed free and fair.
"As I said earlier, I don't think we can consider it a genuinely free and fair election if we take into consideration what has been going on in the last couple of months, but still as we wish to work towards national reconciliation we will try to tolerate what has happened and we hope the courage and resolution of the people will over come the intimidations and other irregularities that have been taking place."
Ghost voting
Election observers were not allowed to enter the country until just a week before the election. Opposition groups say voter lists have been stacked with the names of the dead, and some candidates and voters have been intimidated and bribed.
Although Aung San Suu Kyi’s party chose not to participate in the last election because it was unfair, she insists that participating this time is a good idea. She said she does not feel that she has been used to legitimize the current government and help convince Western nations to lift sanctions. She said her party had two goals: to win all seats they are contending, and to help politically awaken the Burmese people.
“It is the rising political awareness of our people which we regard as our greatest triumph," she said. "This has been most encouraging from all parts of the country. And we have been particularly encouraged by the participation of young people everywhere. This all bodes very well for the future of our country. And it shows that there’s great potential after decades of acquiescence one might expect that very few of our people would be in a position to take part in this process. But we have found that they are quick to wake up and quick to understand what the issues."
View the timeline of Burma's major political events
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Mar 2, 1962
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General Ne Win launched a
military coup. He adopted “the Burmese Way to Socialism.” He formed a
single-party state, suppressing human rights and banning press freedom.
'A vital step'
Aung San Suu Kyi said she felt the elections would be a vital step toward national reconciliation. She referred in particular to conflict in Burma’s restive border areas, but seemed hopeful that resolution of the conflict is within reach.
“We have been particularly encouraged by the response in the ethnic nationality states, in the Kachin State, in the Shan state and the Mon state. We have found that there is great potential for a true democratic union, because we do not find that there are any fundamental differences between what we want and what the people of the ethnic nationality states want. We are after all the Burmese, simply a majority among many ethnic nationality groups in Burma," she said.
Her optimism came with a caveat, and she identified the cooperation of the military as a vital element to moving forward with reform.
While she was outspoken on the vote’s credibility, Aung San Suu Kyi did not directly answer policy questions, explaining that she needs to first gain entry to parliament in the capital, Naypyitaw, before discussing her specific goals there.
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