Maungdaw Township Chairman Orders Village Clerks to Cast "Yes" Votes

Narinjara News

Maungdaw: Maungdaw Township Chairman Khin Maung Tun on Wednesday ordered village administrative clerks at a meeting to cast "yes" votes themselves for any voters who do not make it to the polling booths by 1 pm on the day of the referendum, said one clerk who was present at the meeting.

"The township chairman summoned all clerks, who came to the office to withdraw their salaries on 30 April, into the hall and told us to cast "yes" votes if any voter is absent after 1 pm," they said.

Over 100 village administrative clerks throughout Maungdaw Township were present when the order was given, with a few high officials among them.

The clerk said, "High officials from the township also instructed the clerks at the meeting to carry out victory at the referendum, and they also told us that they do not want to see any "no" vote in the poll results."

According to referendum rules, the clerk of the village administration is also the deputy village election commissioner, and they have the authority to count the ballots.

Another clerk said, "It is impossible for us to go against the high authority's instructions, and I think all clerks will follow the order. So there will not be any "no" votes in the referendum results in Maungdaw Township."

It has also been reported that people in Maungdaw Township are not willing to go to the polling stations to cast votes because the government will use its power to win the referendum regardless of the people's desires for the constitutional referendum.

Source