Wednesday, 03 November 2010 11:48
In the lead up to the 2010 election, Burma's first elections in the past twenty years, the Union Solidarity and Development party(USDP)has leveraged its state-backed authority and financial capital to intimidate, bribe, and manipulate millions of voters in Burma. Borne from the violent military-led social organization, the Unon Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), the USDP is poised to serve as the new civilian face on the regime's efforts to consolidate and legalize military rule through the election.
Over the years, the USDA has come to exemplify the many fundamental and systematic flaws of the military regime in Burma. Formed on 15 September 1993, the USDA wa ostensibly created to serve as a "social welfar organization,"7 However, in pratice, the USDA ha served the regime in many varying capacities, none of which feasibly fit under the category of "social welfare," From withholding and profiting from aid during the Cyclone Nargis relief efforts, to attacking Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democary (NLD) convoy in the 2003 Depayin massacre, the USDA has claimed to work for the good of the people, while serving the will of the regime.