Resigned 20 Rakhine village administrators prefer to discontinue their duties

Narinjara News, 13 January 2023

More than 20 out of 70 Rakhine village administrators, who resigned from their posts recently, do not want to continue their duties even though the Arakan Army leaders urged them to do so.
Those 70 village administrators under Ponna Kyunt township, 16 miles north of the State capital city of Sittwe, left their positions due to the dilemma while carrying out their duties virtually under two administrations (the military government and the AA).
Once they resigned from their posts, which was endorsed by the junta government, the common people start in respective rural areas start facing difficulties while dealing with necessary travel documents, preparing national identity cards, etc.
Lately, the AA authorities invited them for a meeting and asked them to continue their jobs for the benefit of local people.
However, 20 village administrators have sent separate letters to the township governor stating that they are not interested to serve as the head of respective villages.

“We gave reasons including the health issues. Moreover, we can not work under two competing administrations. So, we do not want to rejoin our duties,” said one of the administrators.

Soon after the AA leaders asked those village administrators for returning to their duties, the township’s military council authority called for a meeting with them. But 20 administrators did not attend it.

The remaining 50 village administrators participated in the meeting and agreed to rejoin in their duties.
"If the village administrators do not perform as expected, the common people will suffer. The villagers may find it difficult to receive the government's support addressing the elderly and pregnant women. Moreover, they will face difficulties in acquiring necessary government documents. Hence they should rethink about their decisions,” said a village administrator, who wanted anonymity.

19 village administrators from Rathedaung township also resigned from their posts on 16 December last. However, they retook their positions after the AA suggestion.
Between 2018 and 2020, when the intense gunfighting between the junta soldiers and AA members went on across the State, many village administrators from Mrauk U, Kyauk Taw and Rathedaung townships submitted their resignation letters saying that they could not perform under two parallel administrations.