Mon Unity Party (MUP) has questioned whether the Union Election Commission’s announcement to abolish some constituencies in Rakhine and Shan states is intentionally barring representatives of ethnic parties from entering parliament, said party joint secretary (1) Naing La Yi Tama. 

“As the State needs to expand its political framework through elections, such a limitation for election is tantamount to forcing the indigenous people to be out of their path to parliament through election. Another point is that those (abolished) constituencies are where the ethnic parties are going to win for sure. So we have come to question whether they are deliberately preventing ethnic representatives from entering parliament in large numbers,” he commented. 

An alliance of five ethnic parties from five states have also issued a statement against the UEC announcement to abolish some constituencies which it had already declared about holding elections. Meanwhile, various parties were conducting their election campaigns by draining their election expenses. Moreover, ethnic people were ready to vote. The UEC’s decision to not hold elections in those constituencies just 20 days before the general election is food for thought, Naing La Yi Tama said. 

In some townships of Rakhine and Shan states where elections will not take place, we see fighting at all. Some may see sporadic fighting. Not allowing those townships to hold elections for security reasons is unacceptable. The indigenous people are losing their voting right,” he added. 

He then called for a review and stressed the need to seek a solution in coordination with the candidates from political parties. 

The UEC issued a statement on October 16 saying that elections will not take place in some areas of Kachin State, Bago Region and Mon, Rakhine and Shan states citing the impossibility of a free and fair election as the reason.