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Peoples’ woes at the polls
The only manner of transport between the islands is by boat and there are no schools in the islands. Our picture shows children travelling to school
With the announcement of elections, residents in the islands in the vicinity of the Kalpitiya peninsula are in a quandary as to how they will cast their vote at the upcoming general elections. They face a major problem to get to the polling booth. There are 14 islands in the vicinity of the Kalpitiya peninsula, of which Battalangunduwa, Palliyawatte, Uchchamunai, Mohoththuwaramaya, Keeri Mundalama and Roda Paduwa are populated.
Unfortunately there is only one polling booth at which the over 600 people from the five different islands can cast their vote. This all-important booth is located on the island of Mohoththuwaramaya. Leader of the Uchchamunai Fishermen’s Association -Dinesh Suranga Fernando- said: “people in the area are not enthusiastic about voting at the up-coming elections because it is difficult for them to get to the polling booth.
“From Uchchamunai to Mohoththuwaramaya they have to travel 20 km and that too on a tractor. “It costs Rs. 10,000 to get to the polling booth by tractor. While it costs Rs. 3,000 to travel to the polling booth by boat via the lagoon” he said. A resident Maria Teresa said candidates and their supporters came to them only at the time of election.
“They offer transport to the polling booth. They treat us as though we are children and try to tell us how and to whom we should vote for. But when we come out of the polling booth we find that these ‘good Samaritans’ have abandoned us at the booth with little or no means to get back home” she lamented.
The Assistant Commissioner of Elections, Puttalam district -M.M.N. Kabir- said if requested they could set up a new polling booth in a different place. But, he said, the populace would have to seek the assistance of the naval and police personnel at Kalpitiya in order to arrange transport for voters to the booth.
The church is the only brick and mortar building in the islands
It is especially the women of the islands who are inconvenienced at the time of elections as they have to see to the needs of young children as well