As Burma prepares itself for its General Elections, which have been criticized worldwide for being neither free nor fair, the Free Burma Campaign (Singapore) is lending its voice to the criticism with an event at Speakers’ Corner on 30 October.
From the Free Burma Campaign:
Join us at Speakers’ Corner on Saturday, 30 October 2010 from 4pm to 4.45pm to say “NO TO BURMA’S SHAM ELECTIONS” .
Come for a photo session and get your voice heard with a large placard that reads “No to Burma’s Sham Elections”. As a gesture of solidarity, do wear a red shirt for the event.
The Burmese Junta is determined to push through with elections on 7 November 2010. This is being done despite electoral laws that clearly do not allow a free and fair election.
Long-time dissident and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest while many political prisoners are still held in prison. Meanwhile, the Burmese people are living in constant fear of torture and harassment under the military regime.
Join us as we stand in unity with the people of Burma. Let us come together to say “No” to the planned election – a sham election that does not represent the true voice of the people.
No to Burma’s Sham Election!
Our Facebook event page - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=155688537800050
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From The Guardian, 13 August:
Burma will hold its first elections in two decades on 7 November, the ruling military junta has announced, amid growing international criticism that the poll will be neither free nor fair.
In a brief statement, the regime announced on national television only that “multi-party general elections for the country’s parliament will be held on Sunday 7 November”.
The poll presents a massive logistical challenge for authorities who have less than three months to organise nationwide polls for a country of more than 50 million people, separated by mountains, poor roads, and resistance armies, during Burma’s wet season.
So far nearly 40 parties have registered for the election, though 11 are regime or proxy-regime parties.
Finding support for parties opposed to the ruling junta is difficult, democracy activists have said.
Cho Cho Kyaw Nyein is one of “Burma’s princesses”, one of three daughters of former prime ministers who lead the newly formed Democratic party.
“People are very scared of politicians. They don’t want to come near or mingle with us. They always say it is safe to stay away from the politicians because otherwise they will be bullied by the government,” she told The Guardian.
Most opposition parties are targeting only a few seats, while the 26 parties representing ethnic minorities will contest only seats where they have substantial populations.
The military will contest every seat and is understood to have a massive war chest of election funds, raised mainly through selling off state assets.
“We are no match compared with the Solidarity party from the government,” Kaung Myint Htut from the Democracy Congress party said.
“We don’t have enough budget, we don’t have the people, we are no match.”
The international community has grown increasingly frustrated by the secrecy surrounding Burma’s election preparations, and the country’s draconian new electoral laws.
“A lack of cooperation at this critical moment represents nothing less than a lost opportunity for Myanmar,” the UN secretary general, Ban Ki Moon, said this week.
The United States, European Union and other states have imposed sanctions on Burma’s military rulers for their failure to pursue genuine democratic reforms.
“We certainly do not have any expectation that what proceeds in Burma will be anything that remotely resembles a free, fair or legitimate result,” US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said last month.
The last elections in Burma, held in 1990, were won overwhelmingly by the National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi. The result, which gave more than 80% of parliamentary seats to the NLD, was never accepted by the military, and Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the two decades since under house arrest.
This time new electoral laws exclude Aung San Suu Kyi by banning anybody serving a custodial sentence from participating.
In protest, the NLD is boycotting the election and is urging other groups not to participate, arguing that taking part in the poll will legitimise and formalise military rule in the country that has not know democracy since 1962.
The elections will also enact a controversial new constitution for Burma, one that guarantees 25% of the seats in parliament and reserves key ministries for the military.
Since no elections have been held in south-east Asia’s poorest country in 20 years, no one under the age of 38 has ever voted before.
Almost 50% of Burma’s electors will be first-time voters in November, and many are cynical the result has already been fixed.
A poll of more than 1,000 young people, by Burmese civil society organisation Egress, found 78% believed the result of the election would be manipulated by the ruling military regime, but that they still intended to vote.
Fifteen per cent believed the elections would be “useless” in moving Burma towards democracy.
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Why discuss Burma when we ourselves are not totally FREE yet.
Let us put our house together as Singaporeans FIRST before minding other people’s business.
GE is just around the corner and political reformists need help for CHANGE and total freedom.
Burma is beyond help if they can’t help themselves.
We on the other hand can help ourselves before we are beyond help with the amount of FTs @ our DOOR.
What are Singapore’s investments in Burma? That’s one reason to check this campaign out because as a country we may have been implicit in Burma’s pain.
Asean countries should cut diplomatic and economic ties with Burma. Bark at those who chose to do business with the dictators in Burma.
Singapore mentors Burma in sham elections: http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/08/singapore-mentors-burma-in-sham-elections/
Very nobel singaporeans. Will take any help is given, but don’t forget to clean up your own back yard please.
lingerring thought, are you using Burma as excuse to get together for inablility to speak out against own Govt.
thanks for the support.
Why can’t there be a rally to denounce the sham elections that are staged by the PAP in Singapore?
How can elections in Singapore be free and fair when there is no independent elections commission, the conventional media is a mere mouthpiece of the ruling party and when widespread gerrymandering is the order of the day?
There’s an urgent need to expose the sham elections in Singapore before we try to enlighten the people about Burma.
Let’s get our priorities correct.
Why is the Burmese Junta holding a new election ??? They should be respecting the results of the last election (which was won by Aung San Suu Kyi) !!!!!
what election? i am almost 40 and never vote before? fair and free? demoncracy? what a joke!
elmo-
Who is to be blame when we allow walkovers???the time for change is NOW.
We have Reform,WP,SDA and SDP working the ground are you and those who complains and whine there to lend a helping HAND???or do you think they are worthless to
support???
Instead of whining,complaining and minding other people’s interest,we should be lending support moral,financial and physical towards our reformists seeking CHANGE.
All of you have that one vote and the FEAR factor is sheer BS so use that one vote to make the CHANGE otherwise accept the STATUS QUO and live with it with no regrets for you were given the chance to make THAT CHANGE but refused owing to reasons best known only to yourselves
MAJULLAH SINGAPURA!!! the only home I have.
Back to Singapore, Singapore electoral boundaries must be made known way in advance for the benefit of Singaporeans. We do not accept crap excuses in its last minute announcment as it affects voters’s decision making process. Singaporeans wanted to know months in advance if they still continue to fall under SMC or GRC. There must be no hidden agenda in this crucial adjustment or actions from the part of PAP. Singapore court (if they wanted to prove Ravi’s is wrong about them being politically motivated judge) should stand up fairly and punish the ruling party heavily if there is any slightest action that play out unfairly, not just to the opposition parties, but to Singaporeans.
If Singaporeans are not protected against the ruling party, Singapore is as good as lawless.
why dont we save costs instead?
let combined the ERECRTIONs together with burma on the same period..
if pap loss..they can used burmese troops to shoot any opposition winners just liked the philippines provincines
heck can even used indonesian troops to torture any oppositions voters as well
afteall all 3 nations are ASSEAN mah…
Yep..the free campaign is good. But it will yo no avail.
Because the governments of ASEAN have not the b***s to stand up to the corupt Myanmar regime. Instead the trade with them.
MONEY TALKS.
US of A,EU and western democratic countries trade with pariah and evil nations irrespective of what they preach legally,illgally or through proxies.
“Money Talks” and that is a fact of life.Lets get our act together and seek change for ourselves and let other nations face their own problems.
We need to change and survive at the same time so live the world politics to the BIG BOYS and do our own thing back home FIRST, we need changes and fast before we lose whatever there is left for us as Singaporeans.
Free Burma campaign is a Maruah Event?
Who are we to comment on Burma’s election? The world is interfering in Burma’s internal affair. Burma is like Iraq with many factions like Shans and Kachins. The army is needed to control the country.
Daw Suu Kyi is a pretty housewife but know nothing about governance. The West is supporting her anyway. I have spoken to many Burmese and they have no confidence in her. Cut this Demorcracy crap.
Ask Mahathir. He has something to tell you how good Demorcracy is.
Gas, oil, natural resources, “TALKS”.
so, what is new, ‘money talks’ hell no.
JUNTA TALKS, remember, funny is, it reminds me of another…….