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Posts Tagged ‘Burma Partnership’ (399 found)
For a “Free and Fair” Election, Freedom of Expression Must be Upheld
On 14 October 2015, plainclothes police arrested Patrick Khum Jaa Lee on the grounds that he had shared a photo on Facebook that was deemed to be insulting to the Burma Army Chief, Min Aung Hlaing. A similar incident occurred earlier last week, in which 25-year-old Chaw Sandi Htun was arrested and charged under Article 500 of the Criminal Procedure Code for defamation along with the 2004 Electronic Transactions Law for using Facebook to compare the new colour of the Burma Army uniforms to that of Aung San Suu Kyi’s htamein (A traditional sarong worn by women in Burma) […]
Ethnic Aspirations Not Exclusively Tied to the 2015 Elections
On Friday 9 October, 2015, Burma Partnership released the report Elections for Ethnic Equality? A Snapshot of Ethnic Perspectives on the 2015 Elections at the Royal Rose Restaurant, Rangoon. The report highlights the need for institutional and structural reforms of governance to be implemented that reduce the power of the Burma Army and devolve power to Region and State Parliaments as a priority for ethnic communities. Otherwise, elections will not be able to make substantive changes to the communities’ lives […]
Elections for Ethnic Equality? A Snapshot of Ethnic Perspectives on the 2015 Elections
In the context of the 2015 elections, the report “Elections for Ethnic Equality? A Snapshot of Ethnic Perspectives on the 2015 Elections” aims to provide a summary of what these elections mean and how the elections are perceived in ethnic nationality areas of Burma. Given that up to 40% of the population of Burma are not ethnically Burman, it is vital to present the perspectives and attitudes, as well as the political situation, in these ethnic areas in the run up to this much anticipated event […]
Institutional and Structural Governance Reforms Must Go Hand-in-hand With the 2015 Elections to Achieve Ethnic Equality
[Rangoon – 9 October 2015] As Burma prepares for the much anticipated 2015 elections, what must not be forgotten is the much needed fundamental, structural and institutional reforms of governance to address the concerns, and political aspirations of ethnic communities, Burma Partnership said in a report released today[…]
• • •The Exploitation of Conflict in Burma’s 2015 General Elections
The Union Election Commission (UEC) has declared 102 villages in Karen State to be too dangerous for polling to take place, which will prevent nearly 10,000 citizens in Burma from voting during the 8 November, 2015 General Elections. The announcement comes amid a number of similar voting cancellations and interference during the last few months […]
The Burma Army Must Respect a “Free and Fair” Election
A request from the Burma Army to issue army personnel as polling station officers across 15 polling stations within military compounds in Zeyathiri Township has been denied by an election sub-commission in Naypyidaw. The demand from the Burma Army cites security concerns as a primary reason for involvement in the polling stations, though sub-commission officials are well aware that this will raise concerns amongst election observers. According to Burma’s Election Law, polling station officers are to be appointed from positions within the civil service, such as from the education ministry […]
Freedom of Expression, Religion and Belief: As Freedom of Expression Shrinks, Discrimination is on the Rise
In the lead-up to the 2015 elections in Burma, religious minorities, especially the Muslim population, have been consistently subjected to state sponsored discrimination and violent abuse, while simultaneously denied representation in the political sphere or in civil society […]
• • •Burma’s 2015 Elections: No Place for Ignorance, Discrimination, or the Ma Ba Tha
On 15 September 2015, the foreign embassies of Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Norway, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America issued a joint statement calling on the Burma Government to ensure transparency in the 2015 elections. The focus of their announcement highlighted a growing concern amongst observers of Burma’s transition towards democracy, “As the campaign in Myanmar officially begins, however, we, as international partners invested in the success of this country and these elections, are concerned about the prospect of religion being used as a tool of division and conflict during the campaign season […]”
2015 Elections Highlight Longstanding Gender Imbalance
The Union Election Commission has announced that of the 6,189 candidates that registered for the 2015 elections on 8 November, only 800 are women […]
The UEC Must Review Discriminatory Candidate Rejections
On 20 August, the Union Election Commission (UEC) announced the preliminary candidate lists for the upcoming 8 November General Election. So far, 5,866 candidates have been nominated from 93 political parties across the country, with both the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the National League for Democracy (NLD) each fielding over 1,000 candidates […]
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