19 Oct
With the arrival of first batch of COVID-19 protective equipment from China yesterday, the Union Government has taken another step to hold the general election on 8th November successfully.
Protective equipment from China will be shipped in 40 batches to Yangon and Mandalay international airports and they will be distributed to the polling stations nationwide as part of efforts protecting the health of voters who will cast their ballots in person and polling station workers and volunteers.
Arrangements for advanced voting for the voters aged 60 and above and for eligible voters in the areas which are under the strict the stay-at-home orders will reduce the congestion at the polling places on the election day. But, polling officers, workers and volunteers must be prepared to sanitize those locations to protect the health of voters and for themselves.
At present, our country has over 1,000 positive cases daily. This reflects that we are not out of the woods yet, and people should not be negligent in protecting themselves from contracting the infection. It does not mean that we scare the people. People must do a better job of helping to reducing the spread of the deadly disease by strictly following all health guidelines until a vaccine is developed.
It is uncertain whether we will be able to totally contain the disease within the next few months, but there is no place for complacency in the war against this very tricky virus, which is highly contagious, difficult to control and can spread before infected people show symptoms.
It’s time for us to elect a new government through the general elections on 8th November.
One of the key elements of a stable democracy is upholding the legitimacy of elections in the eyes of the public. We must prepare to participate in the elections by casting our votes. A free and fair election does not depend only on voting rights, but also people’s participation.
Every one is responsible to help the country to ensure integrity of the democratic process.
