Three ethnic parties register with Election Commission

Wednesday, 07 April 2010 20:41 Phanida

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - Election tempo in Burma seems to be picking up, albeit slowly, with three ethnic political parties having registered with the Election Commission till yesterday.
The parties are Karen People’s Party led by Dr. Sai Montha, Kachin State Progressive Party (KSPP) led by Dr. Tu Ja and ceasefire group Pa-O National Organization (PNO) led by Aung Kham Hti.

Neurologist Dr. Sai Montha was an intermediary between the Karen National Union (KNU) and junta in their aborted peace talks and Dr. Tu Ja is a former Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) leader. PNO, popularly known as White Pa-O, reached a ceasefire agreement with the junta in 1991 and procured gem mining concessions from the junta.

The Karen People’s Party plans to contest from some constituencies in Irrawaddy Division, Pegu Division, Karen State and Mon State while PNO plans to contest from Taungyi and Loi Lem, party sources said. But KSPP made it clear that it would contest in Kachin State alone.

Other political parties which have registered with the Election Commission are:

1. Modern People’s Party
2. Peace and Diversity Party
3. 88 Myanmar Democratic Party for a New Society
4. 88-Generation Students and Youths (Union of Myanmar)
5. National Politics League (Union of Myanmar)
6. Democratic Party (Myanmar)
7. Union National Politics Alliance Organization
8. National Unity Party


The Modern People’s Party was founded by former Red Flag Communist members but their slogan is to establish a capitalist State.

“Our policy is to develop industrial capitalism to the utmost level. We believe that the development of the classes of poor persons, workers and farmers can be achieved only under the industrial capitalist system,” the party’s General Secretary Tun Aung Kyaw told Mizzima.

“Regarding the 2008 constitution, we must start from the point of the possible. Even the US constitution has had 26 amendments in 195 years. We shall work for such amendments in Parliament within the legal framework,” he said.