Referendum; Crisis Continues?

Lawi Weng, HURFOM :Burma and Thailand are different in the way they hold their referendums. Previously when a referendum was held in Thailand, the Thai government allowed the people to read the proposed new constitution for three months before asking for their vote. Burma has not followed suit, instead only recently allowing some political organizations in Rangoon to review the latest draft constitution.

Some Burmese people wanted to read the new constitution, and tried to buy it from the market in Rangoon. But they were unable to find it. The state government has attempted for many decades to blind the people’s eyes, not allowing or encouraging knowledge of their political movements. Further, the junta has allowed only one percent of the country’s development budget towards education and health care.

According to one local source, many people did not know what the junta was going to do with their new family list, which they were forced to pay 10,000 Kyat for. Some people did not know why the junta stamped house numbers, which cost each family 500 Kyat. At no stage did the junta explain to people why the new list or house stamp was required.

Burma is one of the poorest countries in the world. The country has widespread corruption amongst Burmese officers who abuse their power. The people always have to think how to survive daily, with little time spared for political thought. Some Burmese political analysts said this is the junta policy to make people’s lives so filled with trouble they are slaves to the economy and subsequently do not involve themselves with politics.

According to a political analyst from inside Burma, unlike the 1990 election the Burmese junta may believe this time they will not lose the election. The junta refused to handover power to the NLD after the last, failed, election; the political crisis continued to worsen and grow more unstable until last September when monks protested across the country.

The NLD proposed to the people to vote no against the junta’s referendum recently. In some places, Burmese activists used spray to write, ‘no for vote’ on the wall in order to encourage the people. In other places the people distributed pamphlet declaring, ‘vote no’. This is what the people can do to oppose the junta’s referendum next month.

Most recently a man who arrived on the Thai-Burma border said every day four to six trucks filled with Mon people leave for work to Thailand from Kalawthut village, Mudon township. According to this source, the people were not interested in the new constitution and referendum. They wanted a better life and were able to find this living in other countries.

Teenagers who are able to work tend to leave Burma to seek out a better life, and earn money in neighboring countries. Millions of Burmese people migrated to other countries where they work illegally, receiving low pay and working hard under bad conditions.

Burma’s political competition may be similar to Zimbabwe in Africa. The Burma opposition groups believe that they will win in the referendum, but so too for the ruling Junta believe they will hold power. Each group uses campaign tools throughout the country in different ways.

Recently Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe lost the election in his country and wanted to hold another. The country’s political situation was complicated, and many people including those in the international community, became worried that political conflict would start soon. Some of the political observers in Zimbabwe urged the international community to get involved in the political crisis in the country.

The Burmese junta’s ideas may be similar to Mugabe’s. Some Burmese political analysts said Zimbabwe’s situation will become a good example for Burma. The junta will cancel their referendum or election if they lose. Or, like in 1990, they may refuse to handover power to the rightful winner.

Most recently, the SPDC ran a field campaign urging people to vote for them in Burma. They did not allow people to shoot photos, nor did they document the campaigns with photographs. In the campaign, they talked about their constitution and they encouraged people to vote yes for them. They did not allow people to ask questions or give feedback to them. They simply told the people to vote for them in order to improve the country’s political situation, or face another fifteen years of political crisis in Burma.

Articles in Mon (PDF Format)