Independent Phone Win’s past, present and November

Wednesday, 15 September 2010 01:29 Mizzima News

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Mingalar Myanmar social organisation director Dr. Phone Win is set to contest as an independent candidate for the Pyithu Hluttaw (lower house) seat of Kamayut Township, Rangoon.

His wife and director of the Myanmar Development Foundation (MDF), Thuzar Yu Maw Tun, will contest a seat in Hlaing Township in Rangoon as an independent candidate for Pyithu Hluttaw (lower house). She is the granddaughter of Dr. Ba Maw, a former prime minister under British colonial rule and chancellor during the Japanese occupation.

After announcing on Saturday that they would run with six other independents on the Thu Wei-led Democratic Party (Myanmar) ticket, Mizzima’s Ko Wild spoke to Phone Win about his past, his work with the NGO Mingalar Myanmar, his health fund-raising and issues surrounding his participation in polls on November 7.

Q: Which parties are your contenders in this election?

A: The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), National Unity Party (NUP), 88 Generation Students and Youths and the Democratic Party. Thu Wei and I competing in the same constituency as those groups so we have to negotiate with them. In fact, I … have lived in this constituency since my childhood and had worked here with the Red Cross for about five years. It is also Thu Wei’s residential area but I hope it will be OK.

Q: Among them, which party will be your main rival?

A: The former chemistry professor and Rangoon University Rector and schoolmate of Daw Khin Win Shwe (the wife of ousted spy chief General Khin Nyunt), Dr. Soe Yin from the USDP, and Kyaw Min Hlaing from the NUP, will be my rivals.

Q: Are you running a practice as a general practitioner?

A: I’ve never opened a clinic and never been a GP since my graduation from medical school. When we [my class] graduated, there was a three-year mandatory government service rule, without which we could not get the Sa Ma (medical licence), so I didn’t work and didn’t receive the Sa Ma.

Q: In your personal profile, you mentioned that you accepted a political recommendation letter from 88 Generation Students’ leaders such Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi and Ko Htay Kywe, to gain access to the Three Diseases (3D) Fund [a US$125 million multi-donor consortium that aims to reduce the mortality and morbidity of HIV and Aids, tuberculosis and malaria in Burma]. Please explain.

A: We had to seek out the 3D Fund when the Global Fund withdrew its support. The 3D Fund is provided by the EU [European Commission, Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Britain and Denmark.] The Global Fund is connected with the US. I was in the US at that time and my wife was attending university. First I thought to lobby for the return of Global Fund support. But we couldn’t negotiate with them.

The NLD didn’t give its endorsement for The Global Fund. We also couldn’t get the 3D Fund also … without NLD support. Before Global Fund quit Burma, it held a meeting of insiders (inside Burma) and outsiders. The fund couldn’t be released unless an endorsement was secured from an inside political organisation. Donor countries Sweden and Britain also imposed this rule. I asked them about the endorsement from the 88 Generation Students’ group. Then I discussed the matter with student leaders including Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi and Htay Kywe. I told them they would gain a higher profile if they could influence donors to make about US$100 million in funds available even though they couldn’t give this amount of money from their own pockets … they agreed to exercise it and signed the endorsement letter … facilitated by my father-in-law, Ye Tun. At the time, my wife was in Washington and I was on frequent visits to Burma. Then I took this letter to the donor governments and the funds were finally released.

Q: Didn’t you have connections with the State Peace and Development Council [SPDC, Burma’s ruling military junta] while you were negotiating for the 3D funds?

A: I didn’t inform the SPDC but it made headlines and became known to the military. They summoned me and also brought in Htay Kywe, Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi for questioning. They also questioned me.

But I didn’t work with the 3D Fund as I was concerned about being accused of working for self-interest, though I had negotiated with the people concerned to win the fund. We talked to embassies and students on how these funds would be released and to whom, on up to 10 separated occasions. When this fund was released, I focused only environmental work.

Q: The three student leaders who worked to obtain the 3D Fund are now languishing in jail. How do you feel about that?

A: Yes, this is the fate of our country and our people. Good people are also in jail. We must work from the outside for their release. One of the 10 points in our policy paper demands the release of political prisoners at an appropriate time before the election.

Q: How do you think you will manage a group of all eight independent candidates for discussions and negotiations?

A: We will work together in all tasks, adopting policy and conducting election campaigning. We will work as a group. We met each other. Now Thu Wei has joined us. We are also talking with other organisations.

Q: Were you still attending university when you were arrested in 1988? After that what political work did you undertake?

A: Yes, I was arrested in June 1988 while I was attending the Institute of Medicine 1. We left our classroom to protest against the government. After only a week, the movement spread to the Rangoon Arts and Science University. The movement was gaining momentum and I was finally arrested in the evening of the Myenigone incident [when protesters fled into the Myenigone market and residents hid them and resisted security forces]. They couldn’t find any evidence against us, so we were all released.

Q: Are the Mingalar Myanmar and the MDF the same organisation or separate groups?

A: Mingalar Myanmar was first established in 2005 and MDF was established later. My wife is the latter group’s director but she will be patron later as we are worried about being banned by the electoral commission. I will work only as patron too, but we must resign from all these posts if they [authorities] exert pressure on us. Before that happens, we will work as directors. Some of our people were reportedly warned against taking part.

Q: The USDP was first established as a social organisation then it switched to a political party. What part will they be playing?

A: They [USDP members and their rougher elements] might not impose obvious pressure on us, but they will if the situation is similar to [events in] the [USDA’s] past. They are seemingly afraid of the [NLD’s election] boycott campaign so I think they will favour us and leave us alone, but that is just my opinion.

Q: From which sources are Mingalar Myanmar and the MDF funded?

A: We have received funds from different sources, both domestic and foreign … These are legal funding sources. Actor Kyaw Thu started social work after running such movements. I was not a prominent person and I don’t like to expose myself to the media without serious consideration.

Q: Are these legal organisations?

A: We have applied for registration since 2005 with recommendations from senior officials such as regional [military] command chiefs. But I think maybe because of my father-in-law, we were not recognised or given registration numbers. They just said to us that we could carry on with our work anyway. They also gave us foreign fund receipt forms.

Q: Some opposition activists criticise you for having a rapport with the authorities. Some are alleging that you are playing a mediating role between the opposition and authorities. How would you answer such allegations?

A: I have many friends in the military. Reunification means negotiation. I believe in negotiation and co-ordination. If you think of yourself as a partisan of democracy, you must work on negotiation, co-ordination and co-operation.

Q: Ye Tun said before he died that he would not contest in the election. But now both his daughter and son-in-law are standing. Do you have a different political outlook [to him]?

A: He had been suffering from leukaemia for at least a year before he died. When he made this decision against contesting … he was seriously ill. We too didn’t want him to contest the polls and wanted him to rest comfortably at home. He had been suffering this disease since February last year before the electoral laws were enacted … First we thought it was curable. But, in the end, the decision against contesting in the election was his alone.