Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Mandalay and Shan NLD support election boycott

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Tuesday, 14 September 2010 02:19 Salai Han Thar San

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Sympathetic residents from Mandalay Division and Shan State have agreed to boycott the junta’s forthcoming election, in line with central National League for Democracy party policy, the opposition group announced yesterday.

From Thursday until yesterday, NLD central executive committee member Ohn Kyaing and colleagues met grass-roots members from 25 townships in Mandalay Division and six townships in Shan State.

“Not only grass-roots members of the party, but also many outsiders agreed to support our party’s decision to boycott the election,” Ohn Kyaing told Mizzima.

Central executive committee member Khin Htay Kywe, central committee member Nan Khin Htwe Myint, Kyi Win and NLD youth chief Myo Nyunt accompanied Ohn Kyaing on the trip. They met citizens from Mandalay on Friday and the Shan town of Lashio on Sunday.

During talks, the NLD leaders had explained why the party had decided to boycott the election, the attitude and messages of party general secretary Aung San Suu Kyi and the people’s right to boycott the election in accordance with the junta’s own electoral laws, he said.

“After we held discussions with township NLD leaders, they told us they would pass our message on to the party’s grass roots so … [they] could in turn explain it to the people,” he said.

The NLD, on August 19, announced an official boycott of the forthcoming election, arguing that the junta’s 2008 constitution and 2010 electoral laws are one-sided and unjust.

Following the party’s official decision, party vice-chairman Tin Oo and colleagues visited six townships in Irrawaddy Division, after which residents also agreed to support the boycott.

Also, from June 12 to early last month, NLD leaders visited about 200 townships in Kachin, Karen, Mon, Arakan and southern Shan states as well as Mandalay, Magway and Sagaing divisions to explain the party’s decision to boycott the election.

“It’s very good that the party leaders visited townships across the country to meet the grass roots of the party. Most party members from my township like the decision of the NLD of achieving democracy through a campaign of social work and civil resistance,” Myo Naing, an NLD member from Mandalay, said.

Today, party leaders will travel to Sagaing and Shwebo in Sagaing Division to meet party members from nearby townships before returning to Rangoon.

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