Myanmar Junta Boss Urges Civil Servants to Vote for Military-Aligned Candidates

With less than a month to go before the regime’s planned election, junta boss Min Aung Hlaing has urged Myanmar’s civil servants to vote for candidates who will work closely with the military.

Addressing trainees at the Civil Service Academy, Police Officer Training Depot, and Central Firefighting Training School in Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay Region Monday, he called on them to back politicians aligned with the military and its “Three Main Causes”: non-disintegration of the Union, non-disintegration of national solidarity, and perpetuation of sovereignty. The civil service comprises around 900,000 employees.

Min Aung Hlaing’s rhetoric has shifted over time as the election approaches. What began as calls to elect those who would serve the national interest has morphed into appeals for candidates with “defense-minded views,” then to those who would “protect race and religion,” and now, most bluntly, for those who will “harmoniously” cooperate with the military.