Female Candidate Wins Local Election in Mon State
Female Candidate Wins Local Election in Mon State
Irrawaddy News, 18 Jan 2016
URL: http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/female-candidate-wins-local-election-in-mon-state.html
Former school teacher Mi Ja Lon Htaw was elected head of Tarana village tract in Mon State’s Kyaikmayaw Township on Sunday, a rare victory for a female leader in a local administrative structure traditionally dominated by men.
The 41-year-old ethnic Mon woman successfully contested Sunday’s local level poll against three male counterparts.
“Two hundred and twenty people voted and I won 140 votes. I felt very happy when I found the people supported me,” said Mi Ja Lon Htaw, a former Mon language teacher with the Mon National Education Department.
Mi Ja Lon Htaw said her first priority would be to obtain electricity for her village. She also vowed to tackle local corruption, citing instances where villagers gave money to administrative heads to secure recommendation letters to travel and obtain ID cards.
The 41-year-old ethnic Mon woman successfully contested Sunday’s local level poll against three male counterparts.
“Two hundred and twenty people voted and I won 140 votes. I felt very happy when I found the people supported me,” said Mi Ja Lon Htaw, a former Mon language teacher with the Mon National Education Department.
Mi Ja Lon Htaw said her first priority would be to obtain electricity for her village. She also vowed to tackle local corruption, citing instances where villagers gave money to administrative heads to secure recommendation letters to travel and obtain ID cards.