Karen party flags readiness to join forces with USDP

Monday, 30 August 2010 22:04 Mizzima News

Rangoon (Mizzima) – An ethnic Karen party has signalled its readiness to form an alliance with a controversial junta-backed party, according to its chairman. Some members have expressed disdain for such a deal.

The Kayin People’s Party (KPP), with headquarters in Shwepyitha Township, Rangoon Division, was willing to join forces with the main junta-supported party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, KPP chairman Tun Aung Myint, a retired Burmese Navy commander, said. The USDP was set up by current Prime Minister Thein Sein and other recently retired senior military officers.

The USDP membership is drawn mainly from the junta’s often-violent, anti-democratic organisation, the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), which was recently transformed into the political party.

“The USDP was formed systematically, the party is strong and we can accept their policies so the USDP is not our competitor. We are ready to form an alliance with them [USDP members],” Tun Myint Aung told Mizzima.

The ethnic Karen party’s leaders said it could collect nearly 6,000 members, most of whom were retired servicemen and junta civil servants.

It was also their belief that the forthcoming elections on November 7, would be free and fair, they said.

Party general secretary and a former police chief, Say Wah, outlined some of the the KPP’s policy agenda. If the party won seats in the elections, it would try to bring peace to Karen State, he said.

“We can’t establish democracy immediately. I think the army is systematically retreating from politics by promising the elections,” he said. “We will try to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor of our country. We will provide an equal-opportunity education and health-care systems.”

The party has 40 candidates, a party member said. Among them, Tun Aung Myint will stand for a Rangoon seat in the States and Divisions Assembly and Say Wah is to contest the seat of Taungoo, a city in Pegu Division, for the National Assembly.

Second vice-chairman and retired deputy army commander of Arakan State, Aye Ko, will contest in Twantay Township, Rangoon Division, for the People’s Assembly. First vice-chairman Dr. Sai Mon Tha will stand in Irrawaddy Division for a States and Divisions Assembly seat, a party spokesman said.

Some party members said on condition of anonymity that they were against the policy of an alliance with the junta-backed USDP.