First State Parliament to Meet at Current SPDC Office Building in Hakha
7 January 2011: When the new State Parliament is convened sometime in February, legislators will be meeting at the current building of the Chin State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in Hakha, according to an informed source in the State capital.
But the building is now quite old, having been used as Chin State administrative headquarters since the 1970s without major renovations during the last four decades. So, more people are opposed to the idea of continuing to use it as the new Chin State Parliament.
Leading Chin political parties and newly elected legislators alike are saying they will push for the construction of a new Parliament Building in Hakha as soon as the legislative process gets in motion.
According to a source inside the SPDC office, there are plans to construct a three-storey new building at the current site that will house both the Chief Minister’s Office and the legislative chamber. However, he stops short of offering further details as to when the construction will actually start.
Hung Ngai likely Chief Minister
Meanwhile, ex-Brig. Gen. Hung Ngai, the current Chairman of Chin State PDC who was elected on a Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)’s ticket from Mindat Township, is widely believed to be the likely Chief Minister when the State Government is formed.
The junta-backed USDP won only seven of the 18 contestable seats in Chin State during the November 7 elections. However, with the 25 percent non-elected members reserved for the army under the 2008 Constitution, the USDP will have additional six members in the legislature, which will give it solid majority in the new Chin State Parliament. The total number of legislators in the Chin State legislature is 24.
The junta has not announced who the six appointees will be, but Chin political parties are quietly hoping that the appointees will at least be Chin nationals even if their loyalties remain with the Army.
