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Loss of vote for migrant workers a cause for concern Director, Migrant Services

by Gamini Rupananda

Former Chairman Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment and Director of Migrant Services Centre G. D. G. P. Soysa said that although Sri Lanka has had 11 Parliamentary Elections, four Presidential Elections, three Provincial Council Elections since independence, it should be a matter of concern that no migrant worker has been able to exercise his or her democratic right of voting at any of these elections. Unless, a voter (other than those entitled to postal voting) is physically present and is able to cast his or her vote, he or she is in effect disenfranchised.

The fact that these migrant workers are debarred from voting is all the more significant now, since they represent more than one million voters out of the total voting population of this country.

Mr. Soysa was addressing a press conference at the Migrant Services Centre at Council Lane, Dehiwala recently.

The meeting was organised by the National Workers Congress, Dehiwala which was affiliated to the All Ceylon Federation of Free Trade Unions Brotherhood of Asian Trade Unionists Philippines and the World Confederation of Labour in Belgium.

However, he said the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment Act No. 21 of 1985 provides for Registration of Sri Lankans who go for employment and return. According to the statistics of the Bureau of Foreign Employment, a total of nearly 7,85,000 Sri Lankan workers live outside the country. However, their names continue to appear in our Electoral Registers. These migrant workers represent a significant number of voters out of the total voting population of this country. They have no access to the electoral process. It is not only a denial of their fundamental political rights that is to participate and select their representatives to the elected assemblies at different levels of the political system but it also gives them a chance to place their needs through their elected representatives.

"We have made representations to the Commissioner of Elections, the Minister of Labour and other relevant authorities including the Human Rights Commission during the last General Elections, we also made representations to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga during the last Referendum, which was subsequently cancelled.

Secretary General of National Workers Congress Anton Lodwick said, the, UN Convention on the Protection of all migrant workers and members of their families, ratified and signed by several UN member states, including Sri Lanka, provides for the exercise of political rights of migrant workers and members of their families.

Other countries which have their citizens employed abroad have provided for voting at elections in the premises of their embassies. Some countries have also permitted postal voting or proxy voting.

The NWC and MSC recently appealed to the Commissioner of Elections and sought his intervention that his officers may request a claimant for a vote to produce the National Identity Card before issuing a ballot. Such a precautionary step on the part of the Commissioner may ensure that migrant workers' voting rights are not compromised by others during elections until changes to election laws are effected in future.

Mrs. Janakie Perera of the Women's Front, and others also spoke.

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