Ethnic political parties have their specific role in the ongoing peace process and it is important for Chin parties to be successful in election aiming at partaking in the peace talks, said Dr. Sui Khar, Assistant General Secretary (1) of the Chin National Front (CNF).
Dr. Sui Khar said, “There are three stakeholders in the peace process. The government, the Tatmadaw and the members of parliament are on the Government side. Then the ethnic armed organizations and political parties are other stakeholders. Chin political parties’ participation is seriously important.”
He also continued, “It is not enough that only CNF takes part with ethnic armed organizations. There are political matters to be discussed. There are issues to be discussed concerning ethnic armed organizations. The government army Tatmadaw as well has issues to discuss. The NLD Government prescribed that only election winning parties can take part in the peace process. So, Chin political parties could not join in the peace making. It seems the government limits the ethnic political parties in the peace process. Therefore, it’s regrettable as Chin parties cannot take part in the ongoing peace process.”
According to the locals, there is propagandas campaign saying CNF’s participation in peace process is enough and Chin parties needn’t to win in the by-election. So, Dr. Sui Khar urged Chin political parties to do their best in the by-election.
Although the oppositions stated the NLD party’s undue campaign, U Aung Than, the secretary of the Chin State NLD party and deputy house-speaker of Chin parliament, said that he did not have such information.
“I do not hear such campaign words that CNF’s participation in peace process is enough and Chin parties’ role needn’t in the peace talks,” U Aung Than said.
The Chin political parties could not take part in the 21st Century Peace Conference as they didn’t get any seat in the past election. So, it is necessary for Chin parties to gain seats in this by-election. Now, Chin parties are launching campaign to obtain more votes cast by the Chin native voters.
Salai Myo Chit, Secretary of the Chin National Democratic Party said, “We’ve information that the NLD persuades in its campaign by saying the CNF’s participation in peace process is enough and Chin parties’ part needn’t in the peace talks. The NLD is the current government and it uses governmental power in the by-election campaign. It also made controversial promise recommending a village to become a town. It’s vulnerable if the government did not carry out its promises at the end of the day.”
The NLD won landslide in the previous 2015 General Elections. Then it launched the peace conference under the title of the 21st Century Peace Conference and it did not allow the political parties without a seat in the ongoing parliaments. As a result, the majority of ethnic political parties cannot take part in the 21st Century Peace Conference.
On the 3rd November by-election, the Chin National Democratic Party, the Chin Progressive Party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party and the National League for Democracy party will compete in the Kanpetlet Constituency for Peoples’ Parliament and the Matupi Constituency for Chin State Parliament respectively.
