One seat for us would benefit Shan State, new party says

Friday, 23 April 2010 22:14 Khaing Suu

New Delhi (Mizzima) - A new ethnic Shan party believes winning even a single seat in the forthcoming election would be to Shan State’s advantage, Shan Nationalities Democratic Party officials said, explaining why they are joining the tough race.
The party had registered with the Election Commission at Nay Pyi Taw on April 8 and will contest in 44 Townships of the 55 in Shan State and some Townships of States or Divisions, the party’s chairman said.

“We will contest both Shan States and some other States or Divisions where there are Shan nationalities. We will contest in the constituencies where there are possibilities that we can win,” party chairman Sai Eik Wawn, 65, told Mizzima. “When the new government is formed, even if we can take one seat in parliament, we will be able to act for the benefit of Shan State and the whole country.”

The former general secretary of the Shan National League for Democracy (SNLD) is also a salt merchant and owns coffee farms. Vice-chairman is Sai Saung Si who was elected to Parliament for Kyauk Mae (2) constituency in the 1990 election.

Sai Eik Wawn is a former teacher and a patron of the Shan Literature and Culture Association. He is well known and well regarded among Shan people in Rangoon. But, his former party, the SNLD, declared that it would consider taking part in the forthcoming election only if the junta released the party’s leaders, who were sentenced to long prison term.

SNLD won 23 seats out of 485 constituencies in which voting was held in 1990 so the party could seize the second place after the NLD (392 seats).

The headquarters of Shan Nationalities Democratic Party will be in Rangoon and the party said it would have the required number of party members on time, its chairman said. The Pa-O National Organisation, and the Palaung National and Wa Democratic parties have already registered.

There are 55 townships in Shan State. They include six townships in the USDA’s self-administered zone, three in the Pa-O’s, two in the Palaung’s, two in the Kokant’s and two in the Da Nu’s.