DVB: Smaller Political Parties Languish in the Shadow of NLD
November 7, 2015
By Dene-Hern Chen
National Democratic Force candidate Kyaw Thu Ya holds a rally in Rangoon. (Credit: Dene-Hern Chen)
Just before sundown, a small truck emblazoned with a logo featuring a yellow bamboo hat parked across the street from the Sule Pagoda. Volunteers began to fan out plastic chairs in anticipation for a National Democratic Force (NDF) rally.
Kyaw Thu Ya, a 32-year-old Lower House NDF candidate, said that he hopes for about a thousand supporters to show up. “A lot of people here know a lot about our party, which will support them and bring benefits to their lives,” he said, referring to Kyauktada Township where he is running for a seat.
By 6pm, no more than 50 participants had arrived; the bulk of them were waiting for the bus to get home as Kyaw Thu Ya began his campaign stump speech.