Arya News - The survey was conducted amid plans by the Myanmar junta to hold general elections from later this month until January. The poll also shows that 99% of respondents would see the results as illegitimate and would not accept them.
TOKYO – Seventy-five percent of respondents to a survey of Myanmar people say that the military should not be involved in governing the country, a Japanese aid organization revealed during a press conference in Tokyo on Monday.
The survey was conducted amid plans by the Myanmar junta to hold general elections from later this month until January. The poll also shows that 99% of respondents would see the results as illegitimate and would not accept them.
The Japan Myanmar Future Conference (JMFC), a Fukuoka Pref.-based general incorporated association which has provided humanitarian aid to the Southeast Asian country, conducted the survey from Nov. 16 to Nov. 30 to present the “genuine opinions and aspirations” of Myanmar people prior to “the junta’s sham election[s].”
When asked whether the junta could resolve Myanmar’s political crisis, 99% of respondents said that the military regime lacks the ability to resolve it.
About 32,000 people aged 18 years old and older responded to the poll, which was conducted mainly through Facebook after requesting participants. Forty-seven percent of respondents came from within Myanmar, while the remainder came from abroad.
The results were announced during the press conference which was organized by the JMFC.
Tin Tun Naing, an executive of the National Unity Government of Myanmar which sees itself as the country’s legitimate authority, told the press conference via video link that the result provides them with crucial evidence. “We have consistently argued that we do not recognize elections held by the military regime. This survey, with its specific questions, has provided us with concrete facts.”
“While some countries may recognize elections held under military rule, these survey results could be the basis for our counterarguments against them,” he added.
An official of the Karen National Union (KNU), one of Myanmar’s ethnic minority groups, also hailed the survey. Saw Nimrod, a KNU executive, told the press conference that the elections in 2020 reflected the will of the people, but the military staged a coup after claiming they were illegitimate. He accused the military of killing citizens, making people’s lives worse and devastating the national economy.
“We need talks involving all factions to achieve a ceasefire first, rather than elections,” he emphasized.
Another ethnic minority group official expressed concerns that the military may deploy more troops as elections approach.
Myanmar has been in a state of civil war since the coup in February 2021. The conflict has displaced over 3.6 million within the country.
The pro-democracy party led by Aung San Suu Kyi has been disqualified from participating in the general elections. Other parties that oppose the junta have either been dissolved or have been classified as boycotting the election, making victory for parties aligned with the military almost certain.