Election candidates in Yangon’s Kyauktada have finally got approval to use a public space for campaign speeches after being banned from a popular park.

The township election commission had told candidates that Mahabandoola Park, in the heart of the downtown area, was the only approved space for public speeches, as other proposed locations were unsuitable.

However, Yangon City Development Committee’s Parks and Gardens Department blocked the plan, saying the park was a space for pleasure, not politics, and such events might damage the carefully maintained grass.

With the scheduled election date approaching, the stand-off had prompted concerns that candidates would have no area to make public speeches in the congested township.

But after repeated requests from the township election commission for a resolution, the municipal authorities agreed on October 12 to allow candidates to use a space in front of the park, directly opposite City Hall.

A letter confirming the decision was sent to four parties that had applied to use the park, township commission spokesperson U Ye Htut told The Myanmar Times. The National League for Democracy, the National Democratic Force, the Democratic Party for a New Society and the Democratic Party (Myanmar) had all hoped to hold public speeches there, he added.

Ko Nay Myo Htet, the NLD candidate for Kyauktada’s Pyithu Hluttaw seat, said he believed YCDC had “broken the law” by blocking the events.

“It seems like they are trying to create trouble for our campaign. It is quite ridiculous that a Parks and Gardens Department staff officer can object even after the [Union Election Commission] has approved [the site],” he said.

U Zay Yar, head of the DPNS, agreed that YCDC had overstepped the mark by blocking their applications. “The reason [for rejecting applications] doesn’t make sense,” he said. “Action should be taking for breaking the election law.”

Translation by Emoon