BURMA: The Irrawaddy Surveys Sagaing on Referendum
BURMA: The Irrawaddy Surveys Sagaing on Referendum
The Irrawaddy has conducted another opinion poll about the referendum, this time in Sagaing Division, the second largest region in Burma with an estimated population of 5.5 million people, most of whom live rurally.
Fifty residents from various townships in Sagaing were questioned, including farmers, shop owners, doctors, civil servants, journalists, students and retired military personnel. None of the interviewees were politicians or activists.
Employing a "cold call" telephone survey system, we asked them whether they would vote "Yes" or "No" in the upcoming referendum, and why.
According to our poll, 14 of the 50 respondents said they would vote "No," while 31 said they were not sure whether they would vote or that they had not yet decided which way to vote. Five respondents said they would vote "Yes" to the constitution.
Most of the respondents in Kalay and Monywa townships said they were not interested in the constitutional referendum. Some said they were not even sure whether they would vote on May 10.
A retired army officer from Pale Township said that he was not interested in the nationwide referendum and that he would not go to the polling station.
The majority of the more educated persons questioned said that they understood the text of the draft constitution, but they had decided to vote against it, even though the government might manipulate the results of the referendum.
A Sagaing-based journalist said, "I will vote ‘No’ in forthcoming referendum, because I don’t want to legitimize the government. Saying ‘Yes’ is like handing them a stick to beat us with."
A retired lecturer from Monywa Township said that he could not anticipate who would vote "Yes" or "No," because the local authorities had been threatening local people and coercing them to vote "Yes."
A salesman from Ye-U Township said that most rural people knew nothing about the constitution, but said he would cast a "No" vote. He wouldn’t say why he would vote this way.
Of the five persons who said they would vote "Yes," one was a civil servant in Kalay Township, one a private doctor in Shwe Bo Township and three were from Monywa Township. The private doctor told The Irrawaddy that he didn’t like the army ruling the country; he would vote "Yes" and in the future choose a civilian government.
April 23rd, 2008
[Irrawaddy]