Democratic Party starts poll work

Wednesday, 30 December 2009 13:04 Nem Davies


New Delhi (Mizzima) -Women members of the Democratic Party (DP) have begun organizational work for the elections in some townships in Rangoon Division.

An official from the DP headquarters based CEC said that they had started organizational tours in Twante, Thone Gwa, Seikgyi Khanaungto, Kyimyindine, South Dagon, North Dagon, South Okkalapa, Yankin townships, totalling eight townships.

“We conducted door-to-door visits in these townships and most of our work was done in my home in South Okkalapa Township. We distributed the work among former Democracy Party members and sympathisers. The organizational work started since we established our party,” DP Organizational Work In-charge Tin Tin Mya (65) said.

She served in the same position in the Democracy Party which was deregistered by the military regime after it contested in the 1990 general elections.

Tin Tin Mya said that they found that most of the grassroots people are facing difficulty in ekeing out their livelihood and could not afford to pay house rent. They cannot access proper medical care.

“We talked to housewives and they felt that these difficulties like healthcare and education of their children can be resolved when democracy is restored in the country. We requested them to support our party in the election,” she said.

She identified three categories among women voters, she said.

“Some enthusiastically want to support us. Some are waiting for polling while most of them are ignorant about politics,” she said.

Currently there are 20 hardcore members in the party and most cannot yet enlist their names as party members as they are still awaiting declaration of the election law and regulations, it is learnt.

Some personnel from the Rangoon Police Special Branch (SB) monitored their organizational tour. They reportedly went to the houses which party members visited and made inquiries. But they did not harass anybody.

After the election law and regulation are enacted and promulgated, they will undertake similar organizational tours to townships in Irrawaddy Division namely Pyapon, Bogale, Dedeye, Mandalay, Myingyan, Hmawbi, Taikgyi, Kyaik Latt among others it is learnt.

“The remaining townships in Rangoon Division such as Taikgyi, Hmawbi, Shwepyithar, Hlaingtharyar among others have been visited by our party members so we don’t need to visit these again,” Tin Tin Mya said.

DP was formed in the last week of June this year with 15-members of the Central Executive Committee (CEC), headed by Chairman Thu Wei and daughters of former political leaders, Than Than Nu, Cho Cho Kyaw Nyein and Nay Yee Ba Swe.