Burma: USDA & USDP

By C. S. Kuppuswamy

Introduction

( May 17, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Media reports in end April and early May have indicated that Prime Minister General Thein Sein and other government ministers will resign from their posts and take part in the polls through the Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) which has been recently approved by the Union Election Commission.Speculations have been rife since the announcement of the ensuing elections that the pro junta social organisation USDA will be fielding a political party to accommodate the retired army officers. The junta is going all out to ensure that this pro regime party (USDP) does not suffer the same fate of the pro regime National Unity Party (NUP) in the 1990 elections

Union Solidarity Development Association (UDSA)

Under the defence concept of “People’s War Strategy” the military regime felt the need of a mass social organisation for “the participation of the entire people in the security and defence of the union.” For this purpose this organisation called the USDA was created in 1993.

The USDA which is officially a non-governmental organisation has a membership of over 24 million in the country’s total population of 57 million. The unusually large membership can be attributed to two reasons—one, in the 1990s many, especially government servants and students joined under pressure exerted by the junta and two, many joined later as some economic advantages accrued by joining this organisation. Senior General Than Swe is its patron. It has a Central Executive Committee at the top with some Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Mayors and Generals in the committee. Its Headquarters is at Naypyitaw. The organisation has reportedly a parallel structure at the regional state/division levels.

The USDA is used by the regime to garner public support for its policies by holding mass rallies, door to door canvassing (as it was done during the referendum) and conducting rural development and educational projects. It is offered lucrative government contracts for running public utility services (like buses). It has its own paramilitary force known as Swan-Arr-Shin which has been used for violence against demonstrators or the opposition. The USDA has reportedly engineered the massacre at Depayin in May 2003, when the convoy of Aung San Suu Kyi was attacked, which resulted in a large number of casualties of the National League for Democracy (NLD) though she was saved.

David. I. Steinberg writes in his book “Burma/Myanmar – What everyone needs to know” about this organisation as under.

“There are considerable social and economic pressures to join, and some economic advantages to doing so. It is not explicitly a political party, because civil servants and military cannot join political parties, but it effectively functions as one like the BSPP. It is the important mass organisation in the country.”

The USDA held more than 50% of the seats in the national Convention which took over 14 years to draft the new constitution. This association with its mass strength will be helpful in giving a civilian facade to the next government and to placate the international community on a continued military rule.

The USDA is comparable in many respects to Golongan Karya (Golkar) or “Functional Groups” created by president Suharto of Indonesia, which was also initially an army managed organisation. Like Golkar, the USDA has also a diverse membership from civil servants to students and women. Under the new order regime Golkar’s mission was to “engage in politics to suppress politics” and USDA is doing a similar job. Golkar has been transformed into a political party and USDA though not transformed has raised a political party under its auspices for the forthcoming elections.

The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)

The plausible aim of forming this political party (USDP) is to increase the army’s representation in the new parliament by 20 to 30 % in addition to the 25% already reserved for the military under the new constitution. With the main opposition National league for Democracy (NLD) boycotting the polls the USDP may be successful in achieving this figure.

The USDA/USDP combine has been involved in election related activities much before the announcement of the election laws in March 2010. The USDA has been embarking on social development projects, development of roads, providing loans and assisting in building schools, clinics and medical dispensaries. While wooing the voters through these measures, pressure is also being exerted for more membership in this organisation.

Conclusion

This resignation of Prime Minister Thein Sein and 26 other high profile ministers to take part in the polls through the USDP indicates the likelihood of most of them continuing in similar jobs even in the new set up, though in a civil attire.

Even a limited success of the USDP in the forthcoming elections will ensure the dominance of the army in the new parliament by about 50%.

The USDP chances are bright with the government machinery at its disposal both overtly and covertly.

Under the circumstances, the main opposition NLD seems to have played into the hands of the junta, to conduct an election with little opposition to be worried about.