Mu Estar, The Kantarawaddy Times — Many voters in Karenni State formally known as Kayah State appear confused about the voting process and unaware of how to cast ballots in multiple voting boxes on election day.
“Our Burmese people don’t know how many ballot boxes they have to cast their votes in. They thought there were only three boxes,” said Ko Kaung Htut, a resident of Mai Long Ward in the Karenni State’s Loikaw Township.
He claimed that he overheard the ward administrator telling the villagers that they only need to cast their votes in three boxes which is incorrect as there is a fourth ballot box for the casting of ballots in the state's ethnic affairs category.
An ethnic affairs minister for each national race is established for an ethnic group if that population constitutes 0.1 percent of the state's total population. The Burmese people living in Karenni State have a Burmese Affairs Minister as their population is significant in size. The state also also other ethnic affairs ministers.
Daw Ma Kay from Ngwe Taung Village in Demoso Township told the Kantarawaddy Times that she was unaware that there are going to be four ballot boxes and wanted to know how to cast her vote on Election Day.
“We are Burmese, but we don’t know how many ballot boxes in which we have to cast our votes. We don’t know why there are four ballot boxes,” she said.
Many Burmese people reside in Ngwe Taung Village and Salmyaung Village in Demoso Township but most do not know that they have to vote in the fourth ballot box to cast their ballot for the state's Burmese Affairs Minister.
According to an announcement from the Karenni State’s immigration department, over 50,000 Burmese people mostly migrant workers, living in the state which is officially known as Kayah State.
Translated by Thida Linn with editing by BNI staff.
