MANDALAY — The vice-chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party said on Thursday that the party is planning to expel members of Parliament who they deem to be inactive and lacking empathy for their people.
U Zaw Myint Maung, who is also chief minister of Mandalay and one of the NLD’s most influential members, told reporters after the parliamentary session in Mandalay that the move aims to strengthen the team of lawmakers who represent the party.
“We are reviewing the activities of every [NLD] parliamentarian looking at how they work in the field and what they have done for their constituencies. If we find members who are inactive, uncompassionate or fail to follow the party’s rules and regulations, they will be expelled from their position and not allowed to participate in the upcoming 2020 election,” said U Zaw Myint Maung.
In looking forward and preparing for the upcoming general election in 2020, the vice-chairman said the party wants their lawmakers to be strong, active and dutiful politicians who the public can rely on.
“We understand that we all have difficult times in the Parliament as well as on the ground. We want our lawmakers to be strong, active and dutiful people who also can strengthen the party with their work and are also able to stand firmly for the people,” he explained.
“We will only keep the lawmakers who work compassionately for the people with a strong commitment to the party and who strictly follow the rules and regulations of the party,” he added.
The NLD has issued warnings and expelled a number of its members and lawmakers on the grounds of breaking party rules since it was sworn in as the ruling party.
Earlier this month, Yangon regional lawmaker U Kyaw Zeya and Upper House lawmaker Daw Thet Thet Khine, both outspoken and popular lawmakers, were purged from the executive committee of their respective township chapters.
NLD’s chairperson for Kayah State, Daw Khin Sithu; Shan State’s chairperson Daw Moe Moe; youth leader U Soe Moe Thu; former army captain and representative U Nyan Lin of Shwepyithar Township in Yangon; and representative U Sein Win from Maubin in Irrawaddy Region, all had party jobs taken from them during 2017.
Three more lawmakers were reprimanded in April this year including Upper House representative U Pe Chit; representative U Than Swe of Seikkyi Kanaungto constituency in Yangon; and Mon State representative and Minister for Electricity, Energy and Industry U Min Htin Aung Han.
Correction: A previous version of this story used the incorrect honorific title of NLD’s Kayah State chairperson. The correct version is Daw Khin Sithu. Also, the party members were not removed from the party as previously stated, but rather had their party jobs taken from them.
