Myanmar's junta urged citizens to do their patriotic duty and
vote for an army-drafted constitution, without mentioning the 1.5
million people clinging to survival a week after a devastating
cyclone.
"If you are patriotic and you love your nation you must give an
affirmative vote," state-run MRTV announced.
The constitution, which goes before most of the former Burma's 53
million people on Saturday, is a key step in the military's
seven-stage roadmap to democracy.
The process is meant to culminate in multi-party elections in 2010
and bring to an end nearly five decades of military rule in the
Southeast Asian country.
But it has been widely derided by the opposition and Western
governments as the generals trying to legitimise the grip on power
they have held since first seizing control of the country in
1962.
The referendum is the first national vote since the 1990
election, which they lost by a landslide to Aung San Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy.
Popular singers, actors and musicians accompanied the MRTV
broadcast, spouting slogans such as: "Approval of the draft
constitution is the responsibility of every citizen, so go to the
polling booth and approve the constitution."
Crazy
The government said on Tuesday it would go ahead with the vote in
parts of the country not affected by Cyclone Nargis, but postponed
it by two weeks in the hardest-hit Irrawaddy delta and the city of
Yangon and its outskirts.
In Yangon, the storm-ravaged former capital city of five million,
people were stunned by the ruling generals' decision to
proceed.
"It shows how unreasonable and crazy they can be. They just want to
celebrate victory even though the people are suffering," one shop
owner said.
As with most people, he asked not to be identified for fear of
recriminations.
"It makes no difference to me - I've decided to vote "no" no matter
when they hold it," he added.
Most people in and around Yangon are still far too busy trying to
patch up their lives to think about politics.
"The only thing on our minds is getting enough food and water for
our families," one carpenter in the city's eastern suburbs said.
"I'm not going to vote. I don't have time."
Diplomats and disaster experts said the death toll from Nargis
could rise as high as 100,000. The United Nations says 1.5 million
people have been severely affected.
State-run radio and TV have not updated the official toll since
Tuesday, when it stood at 22,980 and 42,119 missing.
While the military has appealed for outside help for disaster
victims, it has been reluctant to allow a full-scale international
relief effort, delaying the approval of visas and landing rights
for aircraft carrying urgently needed supplies.
Myanmar exiles in neighbouring Thailand accuse the junta of
deliberately stalling because they do not want an influx of
foreigners into the countryside during the referendum.
The new charter gives the military an automatic 25% of seats in
parliament, control of key ministries and right to suspend the
constitution at will.
