Peace and Diversity Party

Political party in Myanmar
Peace and Diversity Party
မတူကွဲပြားခြင်းနှင့် ငြိမ်းချမ်းရေးပါတီ
ChairmanNay Myo Wai
Founded1 June 2010
HeadquartersNo. 2/2/232, Mahawgani Road, Htauk Kyant, Mingaladon Township, Yangon
IdeologyUltranationalism[1]
Seats in the Amyotha Hluttaw
0 / 224
Seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw
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Party flag

The Peace and Diversity Party (Burmese: မတူကွဲပြားခြင်းနှင့် ငြိမ်းချမ်းရေးပါတီ) is a political party in Myanmar (Burma). It was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Mingaladon Township, Yangon.[2][3]

Political ideology

The Peace and Diversity Party has stated that it supports a "humanist and democratic" form of nationalism, and is opposed to any political ideology that is based on a particular class or nationalism based on ethnicity or religion.[3] Despite claims from the party, its chairman, Nay Myo Wai, is a well-known anti-Muslim agitator and openly supports the ultranationalist Ma Ba Tha movement.[4]

History

The Peace and Diversity Party has been campaigning against land confiscations in Myanmar for years; in 2012 the party's support for farmer strikes received national attention.[5][6][7] The Zaykabar Company in particular has provoked the ire of the Peace and Diversity Party, as the company is known for illegally confiscating farmland in order to turn them into industrial zones.[8][9]

The Peace and Diversity Party is opposed to the Ministry of Defence's ownership of farmland that is left unused by the military.[10] The party has actively participated in exchanging ideas and opinions about establishing a federal army and federal union, and called for political dialogue to be held in Thailand back in 2013.[11]

In recent years, the Peace and Diversity Party has shifted its focus towards preventing what it views as the Islamization of Myanmar, but maintains that it is not anti-Islam. The party believes that this view is consistent with its opposition to political ideologies based on a particular class or nationalism based on any ethnicity or religion.[3]

Fourteen candidates of the Peace and Diversity Party contested the 2015 general election.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Nationalists Reluctant to Pressure Govt Over Defamation Case". The Irrawaddy. 10 May 2016.
  2. ^ "မတူကွဲပြားခြင်းနှင့်ငြိမ်းချမ်းရေးပါတီ". www.uecmyanmar.org. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "POLITICAL PARTIES". election.irrawaddy.com. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  4. ^ Salai Thant Zin (24 May 2016). "Anti-Muslim Agitator To Stay In Jail". The Irrawaddy.
  5. ^ Diplomat, Kyaw Kyaw, The. "Land Reform Key to Burma's Future". Retrieved 25 September 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "Myanmar's 'cronies' face spate of criticism". The Japan Times Online. 28 March 2013. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  7. ^ "Land battles surface in Myanmar as reforms unfold". Associated Press via Yahoo News. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  8. ^ "23-29 July: Burma's Military and Economic Elites Continue to Steal the Livelihoods of Rural People". Burma Partnership. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  9. ^ "Land Rights Activist Hit with Court Summons". 20 August 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Only Fraction of Land Seized by Military Will Be Returned: Minister". 18 July 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  11. ^ "UNFC". www.mmpeacemonitor.org. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  12. ^ Times, The Myanmar. "Parties". www.mmtimes.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
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