Strong disagreements have split the executive members and members over a regulation on the Mandalay Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MRCCI) election over the last few months.

At the meeting on December 4, MRCCI members agreed unanimously to reselect one-fifth of the existing executive members to the new term, according to vice chair U Win Htay.

Among the estimated 100 executive members to be elected for the 2018-21 tenure, 20pc of the current 61 members will remain. The disagreement on whether a quota to retain incumbents for the following term has been a bone of contention in the chamber since early September.

In the first member election for the 2014-17 period, around 40pc of the existing members were reselected, in accordance to chapter 4(d) of the association article.

A November 9 vote to maintain a quarter of the existing executive members in the MRCCI ended in a stalemate, with 98 ordinary members supportive of the vote and 86 rejecting it.

According to MRCCI regulations, a vote must win the support of at least two thirds of the members to pass. As the vote was considered unclear, an executive meeting was called again on November 16 and the meeting made a decision that 20 percent of existing executive members will remain. This is approved on December 4 meeting.

U Kyaw Min, another vice chair, said on November 20 that a combination of experienced members and newcomers will lead the association well.

“We’ve seen that the new government is focusing on the economy. Collaboration between elders and young people will bring benefits to the association and I assume that SMEs businesses will be more empowered,” he added.

The election is expected to be held in early 2018 and they will prioritise expanding the membership base and encourage the participation of younger members, U Kyaw Win said.

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