Govt. ignores enormous contribution by migrant workers
View(s):The government is conveniently ignoring the tremendous support that the migrant domestic workers provide to the economy to the tune of over US$ 7 billion annually.
It would be serious to ignore the circumstances under which these mostly abjectly poor rural women go to West Asia. In a way it amounts to somewhat cruelty, the way the government is taxing these poor people.
This was indicated by Andrew Samuel, Executive Director, Community Development Services (CDE) at a 3-hour workshop for journalists held this week at Renuka City Hotel, Colombo on the topic “Development Journalism and labour migration: Wanted scribes who dare to be media sensitisation on labour migration for sustainable political, economic and social development.”
He said that there are around two million migrants working in destination countries, mostly in West Asia and the contribution in foreign exchange is a major share in the GDP. “This tremendous foreign exchange contribution is the highest throughout the past decade over and above the earnings made through tourism or garment, gems or non-traditional exports,” he said while appealing to journalists to be ethical and responsible writers, different from that of which is now highly politicised.
The need of the hour for the government is to set up a concrete programme in motion to protect the rights of these migrant workers. On the sidelines of the workshop, Mr. Samuel, responding to a query by the Business Times, said that the government is an opportunist in collecting revenue in whatever way, in charging high amounts in providing the mandatory services to the people, especially in the issue of passports and identity cards.
It was pointed out that to issue a normal passport the cost would be around Rs. 3,500 and to issue a normal identity card it would be around Rs 50 but for a one day service to issue a passport is Rs. 15,000 and identity card Rs. 1,000, a 500 per cent increase in the passport and 20 times increase in the case of identity card approximately, over and above the normal charge.
Mr. Samuel told this newspaper that the state was charging exorbitant rates from the public. “There is no question about it. These are essential documents and if somebody is charging Rs. 15,000 it is an absurd thing. It is mandatory to carry your identity card. Charging the public in this manner is highly unreasonable,” he said adding that the majority of the migrant workers are highly poverty stricken, and if they are taxed in this manner they are placed further into debt.
He said they could assist the journalists in sponsoring them to visit various countries like Nepal or Bangladesh where there are lots of migration programmes happening, adding: “This is a great opportunity”.
He indicated that they can work with migrant workers at ground level and understand their grievances and can offer orientations on many aspects of migrant workers. He said that the migration workers’ recruitment process is a huge mafia involved in corruption supposedly highly connected here and abroad at all levels.
The objective is to look through a new area called ‘Development Journalism. He indicated that when the government goes off the track, the journalists have a right to point out that the government is wrong. “We need to advocate the rights of migrant workers and we need to be activists on their behalf,” he pointed out.
Giving an example of unethical journalism, he said that once there was a programme on migration workers in the Southern Province, chaired by the Southern Province Governor. There were domestic migrant workers who came to talk about their problems in the destination countries. When the Governor left the venue, halfway, after a brief speech, a journalist quickly ran after her and asked “Madam, Madam mama mokakda liyanne.
(Madam what am I going to write). “Mokakda liyanne, enna, mama kiyannam mokakda liyanne kiyala (What is to write, come I will tell you what to write”).
Mr. Samuel continued: “This is another brand of journalism as well and that is the kind of unethical journalism we do not want”
Ms. Madushika Lansakara, Senior National Programme Officer, Embassy of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, talking on the issue of granting voting rights for the Sri Lankan migrant workers, said that this right should be given as done by some countries for their migrant workers. She said that the minority groups in the country when voting could sway the election results and likewise if voting rights is granted to migrant workers, it could also create some influence on the election results.
(QP)