There’s no doubt that Myanmar’s main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, has taken some slack in the run-up to historic elections planned for November 8. See this latest, especially brutal take-down.
Perhaps that can explain the latest move taken by Aung San Suu Kyi’s party: banning all 1,151 candidates from talking to journalists until an unspecified date.
A spokesman told The Irrawaddy on Friday that the gag order was put in place to stop prospective lawmakers saying something that could undermine their candidacies while the Union Election Committee (UEC) scrutinizes their bids.
“We [the NLD central committee] ordered them not to give interviews or take part in panel discussions because we are worried that they could say something wrong or do something that violates the rules and regulations issued by the UEC before the scrutiny process is finished, which would harm their candidacy,” said Nyan Win.
This latest diktat follows the controversial announcement of candidate lists that excluded prominent figures including many members of the former political prisoner organization 88 Generation Students.
Suu Kyi has urged her followers to forget about the representatives and vote simply for the party.
Photo / Aung Naing Soe
