Naw Dway Eh Khu
U Tin Oo, a member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in Kayah State, said that although they want to give young people a place in the 2020 election, they have to re-elect the candidates with election experience because of a lack of trust.
“At the moment, they still do not have full confidence on themselves, so we will select them later. Currently, only experienced people are being asked to be elected, so only those who have election experience in 2010 and 2015 will be re-elected as candidates,” said Tin Oo.
However, potential young people are being targeted in the townships and districts where they are carrying out their duty, U Tin Oo added how those youths’ seats have been allocated.
“The member number of young people is still low though. Although it is low, if we cover the whole state, there are our party members who are working in the township, district, and state levels. In that case, we have plan to offer the seats to those potential young people there,” said U Tin Oo.
He also said that if the USDP wins the election, it will prioritize peace and development in the state.
“The main thing is peace and stability in Kayah State. This means that there is an ethnic armed group that has not yet signed the NCA. If they can sign the NCA, there will be peace and stability in Kayah State. Development can only be achieved only if there is peace and stability. Our goal is to struggle for peace and development.”
It said the USDP has been recruiting candidates since September 2019, and the applied candidates were selected by the Candidate Selection Committee organized with the committee members from the ward, village level party chairmen and related committee members. After that, those selected candidates were verifed and re-selected at state level and central level.
Among the party candidates who will contest in all 34 constituencies, there are five women candidates listed in the party. one women candidate in Pyithu Hluttaw, two women candidates in Amyotha Hluttaw, and two women candidates in State Hluttaw, each of them will contest in those positions.
Daw Doris Lay, who will contest in seven constituencies in the Amyotha Hluttaw, said “They have included women even since the party’s organization structure was built. Since women are listed in the structure, there are women included every level of the ward/village, the state, district and township. As women are included in the structure, the passionated women contested in those positions. That is why the five most suitable women were listed.”
Former Union Minister U Soe Thein, who won the 2015 general election in Constituency No. 9, will also run for the Pyithu Hluttaw on behalf of the USDP.
“U Soe Thein has been listed in the candidate list because of the demands of the voters in Bawlakha Township,” said U Tin Oo.
The USDP will contest all 34 constituencies in seven townships in Kayah State in the 2020 general election, and in the last general election in 2015, the USDP won seven of the 34 constituencies.