Two million elders will vote at Nov. 17 polls - LAC Chairman

BY SARATH Malalasekera

TWO million elders will go to the polls on November 17, 2005 to elect a New President. Their voice would be decisive in the outcome, but elders are yet to hear the leading candidates mentioning any policy with regard to the new challenges faced by the aging population of this country, which is considered one of the fastest growing among the developing countries, said Legal Aid Commission (LAC) Chairman S. S. Wijeratne addressing the Elder's Day seminar held at the ICPL Premises at Camel Road, Colombo recently.

Ms. W. Yamuna Chitranganee, Director, Ministry of Social Service, Ms. Wijeyalakshmi Jegarasinham, Additional Secretary Ministry of Power and Energy and former Chairman National Council for Elder's, Leading Journalist Leel Gunasekera and Sri Lanka Help Age Executive Director N.W.E. Wijewantha also participated at the seminar.

The United Nations declared in 1990 the first of each year as the International day of the Older persons. Two World Conferences on Older persons were held in 1982 and in 2002 in Madrid which adopted the Madrid International Plan of Acting for Older Persons and requested the participating Governments to take steps to implement the plan of action.

The againg population is predicted to be the dominant demographic challenge of the 21st century, the Legal Aid Commissioner said.

Wijeratne emphasised that the aging population has not yet entered the main political of social agenda. Elders are taken for granted and their challenges are by an large ignored by political parties even though the leaders themselves are elders, over 60 years of age, the legal definition of aging contained in the Protection of Elders Act No 9 of 2000.

The Principal Institution set up by the Elders law is the "The national Council of Elders" which completed the first term office in May 2005.

The inordinate delay in constituting the new Council is an indication of the minimal importance with which two million elders are treated in this country, Wijeratne said and added that Elders Law No 9 of 2000 was the beginning of bi-partism approach to national questions which appears to have faded with the impending Presidential Election.

The law was passed in 2000 but the Council was constituted in 2001, one full year after legislation.

The Council functioned for three years, meeting monthly at the Ministry of Women and Social Services, virtually as a minor adjunct of the Ministry not as a vibrant Independent institution like the National Child protection Authority.

Elders Law provided the senior Ministry Officials to hold office as Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Secretary of the Council. They were otherwise busy officials and could not devote professional time to achieve the lofty objectives of the Elders Law.

As Government officials they followed the bureaucratic procedures until the Treasury belatedly in May 2005 informed the Council that it is an legally and Independent Statutory Authority, the LAC Chairman added.

Wijeratne emphasised that among the significant achievements of the first National Council is the establishment of over 4000 village level elders committees.

The Council allocated Rs.5,000 each for functioning Committees which were organised by the District Administration with the assistance of the Provincial Social Service Directors.

Elders Identity cards issued to persons over 65 years earlier by the Social Service Department is now issued for persons who are over 60 years of age by the National Council of Elders.

The Elders Council commissioned the Department of Census and statistics to carry out a survey as the needs of the elders.

The report was published and has identified number of specific areas that needs immediate attention of the policy measures.

The LAC Chairman said that an urgent need is to appoint the new Elders Council which should restructure its operational policies, so as to give effect to the modern principle of moving the elderly population out of the charity agenda to the development agenda.