YANGON • As Myanmar prepares for a general election on Sunday, an opposition politician has found a new way of getting her message out and connecting with voters facing coronavirus restrictions.
Ms Han Oo Khin, a candidate for the People's Pioneer Party (PPP), has been criss-crossing her constituency in the commercial capital of Yangon for more than a month with a truck selling affordable groceries ranging from eggs to onions and noodles.
The area she is contesting in - the Thingangyun township - is one of the places worst affected by the coronavirus, so Ms Han, a 34-year-old advertising entrepreneur, believes her mobile market stall will help people get their shopping done - and perhaps win her some votes in the process.
"It's like killing two birds with one stone," said Ms Han, speaking beside the truck, which carries a big poster of her on the back, as her supporters handed out leaflets along with groceries to a cluster of shoppers.
"It assists the grassroots people in my township and also introduces my party and me to the public," she said.
Ms Han reckons the truck has helped her make contact with thousands of people in her constituency, where there are 180,000 voters due to cast ballots on Sunday, when Myanmar holds its second general election since the end of strict military rule.
With more than 50,000 coronavirus cases and over 1,200 deaths, Myanmar is facing one of South-east Asia's worst Covid-19 outbreaks, and election campaigning across the country has been hit by restrictions on movements and gatherings.
The PPP is one of several new political parties emerging to challenge the popularity of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Ms Suu Kyi's party is widely expected to win the election but smaller parties say they see opportunities for themselves, as her support has been chipped away by growing ethnic conflict in some areas and a sluggish economy.
The PPP is headed by a former Member of Parliament from Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy who was expelled from the party for criticising it over various issues.
Ms Han has no illusions that the PPP can defeat the ruling party but she is looking long term and plans to keep operating the grocery truck to help build her party's image and her profile. "We'll keep serving the people to prepare for the 2025 election," she said.
REUTERS
