⁍ The mVoter 2020 app launched on Tuesday and aimed at improving voter awareness.
⁍ It labels at least two candidates belonging to the Rohingya ethnic group as ‘Bengali’
The term implies they are immigrants from Bangladesh and is rejected by many Rohingya.
⁍ The app was not available to download for mobile and a web version was inaccessible on Friday.
– A smartphone app designed to help voters in Myanmar make sure they’re eligible to vote in next month’s election appears to have been removed after critics accused it of using discriminatory information. The mVoter 2020 app, which was developed with help from international organizations, included information on at least two candidates belonging to the Rohingya ethnic group who were labeled “Bengali,” meaning they are immigrants from Bangladesh and have been rejected by many Rohingya, Reuters reports. Aye Win, one of the Rohingya candidates, tells Reuters he was informed by the Union Election Commission on Friday that he was being disqualified, although it was not clear if this was related to the app. The EU’s public diplomacy adviser to Myanmar says the EU “should have been warned about the inclusion of discriminatory data” in the app and is “considering all options” as to how to respond. Marcus Brand, the country director of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, which helped develop the app, says he understands it has been removed while discussions are ongoing but did not have further details. “We are advocating the electoral authorities to remove this information from the app in order to ensure candidate security and … increase the integrity of the process,” he says. Aye Win says he was told by the UEC on Friday that he was being disqualified.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-election/myanmar-election-app-goes-offline-has-been-criticized-over-label-for-rohingya-idUSKBN26N2LL