A leader of the Kachin Democratic Party (KDP) has confirmed that they have broken away from the Kachin State People’s Party (KSPP) after the KSPP met with the new Union Election Commission (UEC) formed by the ruling military council.

 

The KSPP, which is a merger of multiple ethnic Kachin political parties, has faced criticism from the Kachin public for attending a meeting organized by the new UEC, after the previous one was dissolved following the February 1 military coup.

 

Gumgrawng Awng Hkam, a KDP leader, then announced the KDP’s split, citing a desire to “stand with the people.”

 

"Our objective is to work with the people. We can work with the people even if we are not part of the KSPP. We need to work for the people. We need to stand with the people. This is why we walked away from the KSPP,” he told NMG.  

 

Gumgrawng Awng Hkam said that all original KDP members had resigned from the KSPP, and had sent their resignation letters to the KSPP, the Kachin National Consultative Assembly, and the 17 members of the Kachin political parties’ merger committee. These are the bodies that decide whether to accept the resignation.

 

For now, he described the KDP as an entity working with the people to oppose the current military dictatorship, abolish the 2008 Constitution, and work to build a federal democratic Union where ethnic communities have the right to self-determination.

 

“To implement our objectives, we need to be an independent organization,” the KDP leader explained.