Burma’s Kachin vote delay leaves two popular candidates out in the cold

BAWK JA (LEFT) AND DR.TU JA

MYITKYINA, Burma — The Burmese government's decision to indefinitely postpone voting in all three constituencies in Kachin state that were supposed to take part in the national April 1 by-elections, is a serious setback for two of the state’s most popular politicians, Dr. Tu Ja and Bawk Ja (also spelt Bauk Gyar or Bauk Ja).

The three constituencies where voting was set to take place were Mogaung, Hpakant (also Hpakan, Phakant) and Bhamo (Manmaw). All three constituencies are currently without representatives in Burma's lower house officially called the Pyithu Hluttaw.

Tu Ja, a former Vice Chair of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), had initially tried to run in the 2010 elections but was prevented from doing so after the Union Election Commission first refused to allow him to register his Kachin State Progressive Party (KSPP) and later blocked him from running as an independent candidate.

When Tu Ja was initially allowed to register as an independent candidate for the Mogaung constituency this time around, many predicted that he would easily capture the seat, provided the election were fair.

The announcement last Friday that voting in Kachin state would be postponed indefinitely due to “security reasons there are no conditions to hold free and fair elections" came as a surprise to Tu Ja who told the Kachin News Group that he saw no such issues in his constituency located 40 miles (65 KM) from Myitkyina.

Reached by phone Tu Ja said “In my opinion, there is nothing to worry about. I didn't have trouble when I went to meet with the public during campaigning”.

National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi also visited Mogaung on February 21 during her brief campaign trip in Kachin state.

Famed Kachin land rights activist Labyawng Bawk Ja (also spelt Bauk Gyar and Bauk Ja) was until last Friday competing in Hpakant constituency a jade rich region in the far north of Kachin state. She was running again in the same constituency as she did in 2010 for the National Democratic Force (NDF), a breakaway faction of the NLD.

Bawk Ja, current Kachin State chairperson for the NDF, first rose to national prominence three years ago as a leading member of a group of 150 farming families who sued the Yuzana corporation and its notorious chairman for expropriating their land in the fertile Hugawng Valley (also spelled Hukawng or Hukaung).

Ultimately Bawk Ja and her fellow farmers court action failed. Bawk Ja briefly went underground in January 2011 after the Northern Regional Command, Brig-Gen Zeyar Aung issued an arrest warrant against her in a blatant attempt to stymie her efforts to seek redress for her fellow farmers. The bravery she showed in repeatedly standing up to Burma's central government despite repeated intimidation has won Bawk Ja many admirers around the world. Earlier this year she was invited to the US and met Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Since a 17 year ceasefire ended between Burma's central government and the Kachin Independence Organization, the Hpakant region has endured periodic battles between KIO and government forces.

Bawk Ja says she is disappointed by the canceling of the vote and is considering appealing.

Massive Voting irregularities prevented Bawk Ja from winning in 2010
While many people expected her to win a seat during the November 2010 election, Bawk Ja lost to a candidate from the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) after 13,255 votes were controversially declared invalid.

Bawk Ja, initially challenged the final vote count in the Hpakant consistency, which gave the USDP candidate Ohn Myint 29,426 vote to her total of 21,633. In June 2011, Bawk Ja dropped her challenge after Ohn Myint resigned his lower house seat to become the federal Minister
for Cooperatives.

Ohn Myint, who once served as Northern Regional Commander in the Burmese army, did not step down from his seat because of widespread reports that major voting irregularities helped him win, but due to a provision in Burma's pro-military constitution that no cabinet ministers are allowed to serve as sitting members of parliament.

Bhamo township reported site of army atrocities and rapes
While Mogaung has been relatively unscathed by conflict since the Burma army's Kachin offensive began in June 2011, the two other constituencies in Kachin state where voting was supposed to take place have been seriously affected by fighting.

In particular rural parts of Bhamo township have witnessed heavy fighting and according to human rights group's including Human Rights Watch and the Kachin Women's Association of Thailand has been the location of numerous atrocities carried out by the Burma army including summary executions and rape.