www.slnc.org launched
Dulshani Gunawardena
A website promoting the access to vote for Sri Lankans abroad,
www.slnc.org has been launched. It was officially launched by Justice
and Law Reforms Minister Milinda Moragoda.
The website is currently collecting signatures for a petition
promoting this cause.
Moragoda stated that though the vote is a fundamental human right in
any democracy, millions of individuals in Sri Lanka are unable to
exercise this right simply due to the fact that they are not physically
present in Sri Lanka at the time of the election.
Among the disenfranchised Sri Lankan citizens abroad are those that
have migrated primarily for employment and migrants holding permanent
residence or citizenship status of the host country.
It is estimated that there are nearly 1.7 million who belong to the
former category and they contribute immensely to the country’s economy.
Despite the large number of Sri Lankan citizens abroad, the current
election laws do not provide access and procedure for them to vote. |