Burma's Junta Adopts Dubious Means to Win Support for Constitution

Mungpi
Mizzima News
April 26, 2008
New Delhi -

Notwithstanding the Burmese military junta's claim that it will hold the May 10 referendum in a free and fair environment, its activities on the ground and information leaked by insiders suggest that the junta is desperately resorting to various means, not all of it ethical, to win support.

The junta desperate to garner supporting votes is creating a fear psychosis by intimidating and coercing the people as it vigorously carries on with its campaign.

Intimidation and an environment of fear

In a campaign meeting held in Rangoon, a junta official who is the chairman of a township, told participants that for the convenience of voters, every vote is being registered with code numbers.

This coding system would help authorities trace the voters and the votes cast, thereby creating an environment of fear.

"In every ward, for everyone, votes are registered with code numbers against the name. It is for your convenience," the official said.

The official while explaining this method provided an example saying, "For instance, you are staying in a ward and you work for the whole day and you can come to the station only after your work. It would be tiring and difficult to find a card for you where your name is registered with a code. For this, we suggest you cast your vote in advance so as to avoid inconvenience."

Besides, the official said that policemen are to cast their votes in advance as they would be taking charge of security during the actual polling and that they will have no time to come to their respective booths to vote.

This clearly reveals that the junta has already planned polling in advance for its civil servants, which is against the universal norm of voting.

Win Min, a Burmese military analyst based in Thailand, shoring up this information said, "a reliable source of mine very close to the military said they [the junta] is planning to force civil servants, including university lecturers and school teachers, and possibly other USDA members to go for advance voting in front of senior military authorities' eyes."

"This is clear intimidation to vote 'Yes'. It's unacceptable since it violates the basic right to secret voting. It also shows that the authorities are worried that these civil servants are likely to vote 'No' if they're free to do so," added Win Min.

Vote rigging

An official in Burma's second largest city of Mandalay, who has been appointed secretary of one of the polling booths told Mizzima that while the counting of votes will be conducted after the voting, the results will not be announced but sent to higher authorities.

"It now seems that the results will be declared only from Naypyitaw, though counting will be held in the polling booths," said the official, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Sources in the military establishment said, Maj. Gen. Myint Swe, member of the ruling military council, communicated this information to a meeting of 600 people that included senior government officials and senior NGO representatives in Naypyitaw on April 9.

Misleading campaign

Sources said the junta in a bid to lure people to vote 'Yes' is also twisting its campaign slogans to mislead people.

Van Lian, chairman of Burma's largest opposition party – the National League for Democracy in Chin state's capital Hakha town, said authorities are explaining to villagers that 'Democracy could only prevail if they vote in favour of the draft constitution.'

"They [authorities] told villagers that 'if you don't like the military you should vote 'Yes' because approving the draft constitution will end military rule," Van Lian told Mizzima.

Van Lian said, In Chin state, northwestern Burma, most people do not like the military and therefore authorities are adopting this tactic to win supporting votes.

In one of the secret campaign meetings in Rangoon, the township chairman told participants that if the draft constitution cannot be approved in the referendum, the military will prolong its rule merely by saying that a fresh constitution needs to be drafted.

"We know the public does not like being governed by the military. If you don't like being governed by the military, you should vote 'Yes' in the referendum."

"But if you say 'No', the military will say they will re-draft the constitution and stay in power as long as it likes. So you should vote 'Yes' to prevent it from staying in power longer," added the official.