A matter of identity
The instructions given
by Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka for the speedy issue
of National Identity Cards to Estate workers is a timely move
given the emphasis being laid on the NIC in the current security
context.
Today it is the lament of the Estate community that they are
debarred from seeking employment outside the confines of the
estates due to the lack of the NIC. This issue has time and
again being brought up in Parliament by politicians representing
Estate Tamils.
Some have charged that a deliberate ploy was afoot to
disenfranchise Estate Tamils and exclude them from the national
polity. It is hoped that the instructions issued by the Premier
would allay such unfounded fears.
Not stopping at that the Premier has also issued a December
31 deadline for accomplishing this task. According to a
spokesman of the Prime Minister’s office Estate superintendents
will be entrusted to decide the age of those who do not have
birth certificates.
This follows complaints from Minister Arumugam Thondaman that
there is a large number of Estate workers without birth
certificates- a pre-requisite for the issue of National Identity
Cards. True, Estate workers more than any other segment had been
the worst hit due to the non-possession of the NIC.
They are placed at an immediate disadvantage in securing
employment or claiming eligibility for Government hand outs and
other largesse. But where they suffer most is in their inability
to undertake free movement given the strict application of the
ID requirement due to the current security situation.
This restricted movement has made them confined to their
estates and caught up in the poverty trap. Now with this matter
fixed it is hoped a large segment of the Estate community would
be free to venture out of their cloistered existence and seek
fresh pastures far afield.
This free mobility it is hoped will free them from the grip
of certain plantation politicians who had tied them to a life of
servility, shielding them from the path of enlightenment that
would expose their machinations.
The possession by all Estate workers of the National ID no
doubt will go a long way towards removing the stigma attached to
this segment of citizens. The problem of course has a history
dating back to the times of indentured labour.
The disenfranchisement of many plantation workers under the
first post Independence Government had its impact. The
repatriation programme under the Sirima-Shasthri pact too
combined to prey on the identity issue of the estate Tamil
community.
As a result a considerable segment of the plantation Tamils
suffered the indignity of being a fringe community. The matter
was rectified by a subsequent Government by granting citizenship
to all Estate Tamils.
Still though there is a sizable portion among the estate
community who have no birth certificates and other valid
documents to prove citizenship.
This has denied them opportunities open to ordinary citizens.
Now the problem has been exacerbated by the requirement of the
NIC for voting.
Hence the move by the Premier to reinforce the identity of
the estate community as part and parcel of Lankan society is
most salutary. It is a fitting tribute to their sweat and toil
to bring much needed foreign exchange to the country.
This will also now put their minds at ease vis-a-vis the
security factor.
While on the topic of National ID cards today there are a
large number persons even in the South who do not possess a NIC
due to various reasons and are handicapped in many ways as a
result. Most of these people are tsunami victims who lost all
their possessions in the Boxing day catastrophe.
One could also hark back to the times when IDs were collected
from homes in the South during the height of the 88-89 uprising.
These persons should be provided with alternative means of
identification.
Today there is huge racket in forged National ID cards and
all precautions may come to nought if this matter is ignored.
The full might of the law enforcement agencies should be
deployed to bust this racket and cover all loopholes in our
security.
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