The arrest of United Democratic Party (UDP) chairman Kyaw Myint under article 224 of the penal code has left the party in a state of chaos in some regions.
After hearing about the chair’s arrest, a homeowner living in Mingalar neighborhood in Loikaw, Kayah state, removed the party’s signboards and flags from her house on the afternoon of September 30.
“To be quite frank, I want to separate myself from this whole fiasco, because I really don’t know what’s going on. I’ve never seen the chairman, he’s never visited here,” the homeowner told Myanmar Now.
She said the UDP signboards and flags had been put up because the house is part of an estate. She added that she joined the UDP as a member about five months ago, but had informed the party she wanted to resign due to health reasons.
The UDP office in Loikaw is empty now, with no party members in sight despite the open doors. Another small office near the main office was closed.
In interviews with Myanmar Now, some party members declined to discuss the chair’s arrest. They said that official spokespeople were selected on September 22 and that candidates were forbidden from speaking publicly about the current situation.
“We were told not to say anything. None of the offices were permitted to say anything. There’s an official letter from above, too,” said Aung Thu Tun, a UDP candidate running in Bawlakhe township, Kayah.
The UDP party headquarters in Chanmyatharzi township, Mandalay, also appeared to be closed.
Zaw Lin Tun, a UDP recruiter in Chanmyatharzi, said it was unclear how Kyaw Myint’s arrest would affect the party’s future, but indicated that it would likely complicate campaign efforts.
“This affects the candidates. The election is drawing near, and the candidates won’t have an easy time running their campaigns. We don’t have a party chair, so we’re at a loss. We just don’t know now who’s going to take responsibility and lead the party,” he said.
Yaw Zone, a representative from the UDP’s Kachin office, said election candidates were complaining that they had not received financial support from the party since Myanmar Now published an article about the UDP chair’s troubled past on September 22.
He said that 10 UDP candidates in Kachin had yet to receive the 300,000 kyat they had been promised by the party to bolster support in the state.
“There are so many towns that haven’t received the 300,000 kyat. The candidates have been complaining about it to our office. We were told they would get the money. Some got it, but some didn’t,” he said.
The lack of funding has severely hampered the party’s efforts on the ground.
“We need funds when we’re out in the field. All the recruiters need to come together to run these campaigns. But since we still haven’t received any funding, we’re all just hoping it will come through eventually. It’s quite a problem,” said Yaw Zone.
The party said that it would cover the cost of campaign materials, such as signs and posters, but so far, recruiters have had to bear all of these expenses on their own, he added.
“I don’t know how the headquarters is going to handle this, but we’re all waiting for the funds. People keep coming to complain that they haven’t received any funding during this crucial phase of the campaign. But there’s nothing we can do about it, because we don’t have any money to give them, either,” he said.
The uncertainty surrounding the party’s fate in the wake of its chair’s arrest on Tuesday has already cost it one of its most prominent candidates. Gannes Basnez, a Kachin lawyer running in Waingmaw township, was recently relieved of his responsibilities by the party after calling for detailed background information on Kyaw Myint.
Htay Hlaing, the UDP representative for Naypyitaw and Mandalay, said he was aware of the chair’s arrest, but said the party had not been given any instructions. He added that an emergency central executive committee meeting would be held soon.
He said he went to Yangon to apply to join the party after seeing a newspaper advertisement by the Myanmar Kyaw Investment company offering to support anyone willing to do good for their region.
Thingangyun UDP recruiter Kyaw Zeya, who is also a member of a comedy troupe known by his stage name Kyal Thee, said the party had not released a statement regarding the chair’s arrest.
“I joined because I thought it would be good for the country. We have to look out for the public. I’ll never stand for something that the people or the country don’t need. That’s the truth. If something is good for the country, I’ll give my services. If not, I won’t,” he said.
UDP candidate Than Toe Aung, contesting in Rakhine state’s Maungdaw constituency 2, said he regarded Kyaw Myint’s arrest as a political maneuver designed to sideline the UDP’s challenge to the ruling party.
“I just assume this is a common case of a personal attack during an election period,” he said.
He added that he joined the UDP because of Kyaw Myint’s assurances that the party would raise citizens’ incomes and lift the country’s economy to a level higher than that of Singapore. The UDP chair insisted that if his efforts failed, supporters could burn the party’s signboards and throw him in prison.
The UDP, also known as the Rose Party, was officially registered as party #16 by the Union Election Commission ahead of the 2010 election, which ushered in an era of quasi-civilian rule after decades of military rule. It failed to win any seats in parliament during that election or when it ran again in 2015.
Despite its poor showing in the past, however, the UDP has fielded more than 1,000 candidates in this year’s election. Only the ruling National League for Democracy is contesting more constituencies.
Over the past decade, the UDP has systematically built up its support around the country. According to Joint Secretary Thike Tun, the party has six million members and operates all the way down to the ward and village tract level.
Critics have accused the party of buying its support, with some recruiters saying that they have been paid 100,000 kyat.
Thike Tun rejected this charge, but according to retired major Zaw Win Htet, who was a personal officer for Kyaw Myint from 2016 until 2018, the UDP chair spent about 100,000,000 kyat a month on the party’s expenses, including payment of between 100,000 and 200,000 a month for recruiters.
This money came directly from the Myanmar Kyaw company, and not from the party’s coffers, Zaw Win Htet said.
Contributors – Chan Thar, Sandar Nyan, Kay Zun Nway, Zaw Ye Thway, Thant Myat Khaing, Yan Moe Naing, Naing Lin Aung
