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Landmark citizenship law

The unanimous passing of the Grant of Citizenship of Persons of Indian Origin Bill in Parliament on Tuesday, proves the distance Sri Lanka has traversed since 1947, in terms of democratic accommodation of minority communities and recognition of their inalienable rights.

The late Forties saw the disenfranchisement of a large number of persons of Indian origin when the Ceylon Citizenship Act was brought into force by sections of Lanka's then ruling elite who saw red on noticing that the "Indian Tamil" vote wouldn't largely be in their favour. These calculations were based on the general election results of 1947.

Efforts were, of course, made since then to end the "stateless problem" among persons of Indian origin resident in Sri Lanka with the collaboration of India, but it is only now that a complete settlement has been made through the granting of citizenship status to all persons of Indian origin or their descendants, who have been permanent residents of Sri Lanka since October 30, 1964.

This is indeed a far cry from those communalism-tainted times of the late Forties when the perception festered in some Southern quarters that the plantation worker community was both a political and a material liability. Nor were these communalistic perceptions confined to those times when Sri Lanka was taking its first steps as an independent state in the world community.

The communal cry against the workers of Indian origin was intermittently heard throughout Sri Lanka's troubled post - independence history with the fledgling JVP of the late Sixties even branding them an "Indian invasionary force".

However, among the more progressive segments of Lankan political opinion, the plantation workers of Indian origin were seen as a people who were receiving a raw deal. The stark fact was that they were an important section of Lanka's labouring masses. It is their labour which was and is, keeping the tea sector - a major foreign exchange earner - humming. It is only right that they be granted full citizenship rights, on account of humanitarian considerations as well as their invaluable economic contribution.

So, a long-festering injustice has been rectified with the passing of the Grant of Citizenship of Persons of Indian Origin Bill. We are particularly happy to note that the Bill has been passed in Parliament unopposed, indicating willingness on the part of the Lankan polity to acknowledge the important role the community in question is playing in economic and political development.

However, the mere passing of a law wouldn't be sufficient to ensure the complete integration of a minority community into the larger Lankan State. The next step should be to ensure that these persons of Indian origin enjoy the whole array of fundamental rights every citizen is entitled to. This is a crucial test the Lankan State must pass.

The spirit of democratic accommodation which has been displayed over the "stateless issue" should, ideally, extend to the gamut of issues issuing from the North-East conflict too. Inasmuch as the Indian origin workers have been welcomed to the Lankan fold, the other communities of the State too should be accommodated and given an opportunity to thrive, free of acrimony and bias.

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