No voting right for 71,000 estate people - CaFFE
Friday, 26 December 2008 10:38
CaFFE is calling for an accelerated programme to issue national identity cards for the estate community in time for the polls for central province.
Failure to do so will deny around 20 per cent of eligible voters in the province to exercise their franchise at the election, said its spokesman Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon in a statement today (Dec. 26th).
A survey by CaFFE has found that a considerable number of the estate community does not possess any form of identification.
According to the district secretary, 71,000 people in Nuwara Eliya do not have an identity card.
CaFFE observes that one-fourth of the population of the district, as well as one-fifth of the people in the province do not have national identity cards.
Election laws do not allow anyone without valid identification to exercise his/her franchise at an election.
The plantation community has a history of having fought for their voting rights and is still in the bottom of the living standards in society.
Their best opportunity within the democratic framework to express themselves is to vote for a political party of their choice at an election, the CaFFE spokesman notes.
However, denying them that opportunity purely due to a technical reason is a very serious situation, he says.
Therefore, a need has arisen for a systematic programme by state institutions before the election to issue national identity cards to these people.
Making proper identification mandatory is aimed at preventing malpractices, the CaFFE statement points out.
However, it should immediately be rectified if that requirement comes in the way of a large number of people from using their right to vote, it adds.
LANKADISSENT.COM
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