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Jakarta Post

Much ado about Suu Kyi

Leader of Myanmar's National League for Democracy party, Aung San Suu Kyi visits a polling station on the outskirts Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday

Achara Deboonme and Khine Kyaw (The Jakarta Post)
Yangon, Myanmar
Mon, November 9, 2015

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Much ado about Suu Kyi Leader of Myanmar's National League for Democracy party, Aung San Suu Kyi visits a polling station on the outskirts Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday. (AP/Mark Baker) (AP/Mark Baker)

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span class="inline inline-center">Leader of Myanmar's National League for Democracy party, Aung San Suu Kyi visits a polling station on the outskirts Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday. (AP/Mark Baker)

At a school serving as a polling station in Bahan township, Myanmar nationals and foreigners alike were overwhelmed with excitement.

At other polling booths, some voters queued up before dawn. Here, the excitement was more intense as Bahan, home to the wealthy, was where opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi would cast her vote.

Some foreign journalists queued up at 3am, ready to race for the best spot to take their photos. Dozens of voters arrived before the gate opened at 6am, some waiting to greet her. As soon as the gates opened, all were in a rush to exercise their rights.

Voters, many of them pensioners, enthusiastically cast ballots in the hope that their favorite party could form the next government to ably change the country.

Arriving with a walking stick and accompanied by his niece, Zaw Moe Aung, 90, proudly cast his vote for the third time in his life, after the first two in 1990 and 2010. He voted for the party he voted for in 1990, saying he believed more in action than words.

"This time, I believe all the people will hear very good news tomorrow or in a few weeks, as I believe in the people's willingness for a genuine change in Myanmar," said the old man.

San Aye, 72, cast a vote for the first time in 25 years.

"We need rapid change so we can catch up with the development of other nations. We are even far behind our neighbors like Thailand. We do not want to wait. As independent candidates have little chance to form the government, I have voted for the same party that won the election in 1990," said Than Win, 70.

Sharing the same enthusiasm was Ko Ko Aung, 20, a company employee who was voting for the first time. "I was so excited that I could not sleep until 2am. Hopefully, Myanmar will be more prosperous after the election," she said.

The media troupe anxiously waited. Suu Kyi's arrival had been delayed from 7.30am to 8.30am. Photographers dared not to leave their posts. Some stood on student desks, others on chairs placed on desks. While waiting, one almost had an accident when his chair fell off the desk. Many supporters manned the gate and the building entrance. Many others waited outside the school, with some sitting on the fence wall.

A passing motorist in a Mercedes-Benz slowed down to take a video of the huge crowd. A wedding procession received unexpected attention as journalists stopped it for "atmosphere" photos.

International observers, including those from the European Union and the Carter Center, wandered about. While waiting, local media interviewed foreign journalists and journalists interviewed voters. Most abided by the law prohibiting them from telling others which party they would vote for.

The excitement peaked at 9am as Suu Kyi arrived. Her chauffeur drove her directly to the entrance of the voting booth, while hundreds of media members and her supporters tightly surrounded her vehicle. People were pushed as security guards shouted, "Move, Move".

As soon as she got out of her car, resplendent in a dark red blouse and white jasmine in her hair, her supporters shouted in Burmese: "NLD must win". The noise was loud enough to silence the sound of over a hundred cameras.

The Nobel laureate was escorted to the booth, where she cast her ballot, photographed and taken back to her vehicle. Everything happened in less than five minutes, so quick that some could not wade through the crowd to see the color of her longyi.

Then there was more pushing and the scene nearly disintegrated into a "stampede". As everyone closely followed Suu Kyi's vehicle, someone stepped really hard on my foot and someone else knocked the mobile phone from my hand. A long microphone handle nearly hit a Nation TV reporter in the eye. Blood spilled and some voters rapidly offered tissue.

As soon as her car left the gate, the commotion stopped. People dispersed, including Than Win.

"Even though I waited for about two hours, I saw only the color of her dress. At least I've witnessed first-hand how much people love her, wherever she goes and whatever she does," he said.

After the commotion, all that was left for the voters to do was wait for the results. Hopefully, their enthusiasm will be satisfied. (kes)

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