The Kachin State People’s Party (KSPP) has become one more in a series of ethnic parties who have withdrawn from their election right to broadcast their policy statement on State-owned TV after censorship carried out by the Union Election Commission.

 

U Naw Khu Na, Youth Secretary of the party explained “The UEC delete our policy about the allocation of resources.  The UEC wants the party to use the wording “Both the Kachin people and citizens shall enjoy the State’s resources” which would dilute the KSPP’s policy “the Kachin ethnics shall fully enjoy the State’s resources”.

 

The issue here is currently the National State and government controls all the resources of the ethnic states and most of the ethnic policies are campaigning for greater autonomy within a federal state and greater control over their natural resources.

 

Last week the UEC censored about 50% of the election address of Tai-Leng (Shan-ni) Nationalities Development Party. The censored pieces covered weak points of the 1947 Constitution, youth development and dictatorship. The UEC has also interfered with the election address of the CNLD- The Chin National League for Democracy. 

“As The Kachin-based KSPP has designated the rights of people in Kachin State as the party’s policy, and the KSPP does not want such censorship” U Naw Khu Na continued “The KSPP will broadcast it via its page. “

 

U Shwe Min, Chair of the Lisu National Development Party admitted: “Some parties faced censorship” but considered others did not encounter it. Our party was invited to Nay Pyi Taw for the recording of the election address. The party has directly sent it to the media due to the spread of COVID-19. The party planned to record it in Myanmar and Lisu languages. Due to the urgent condition, the party sent a Myanmar-language address only. The UEC did not censor the party’s address.

 

On September 20, Lisu National Development Party’s election address was telecast. More than 50 political parties have presented their election addresses via the State-owned TVs. Lawow National Unity Party in Kachin State.

 

The telecast of election addresses by the political parties via the State-owned MRTV channel has started since September.

 

More than 90 political parties will compete in the 2020 General Election. Of them, more than 70 parties will contest in the whole country while the remaining parties will compete in the relevant regions and states, according to the statement by the Union Election Commission (UEC).