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Bill debate on hold, IDs for all within a year
By Chandani Kirinde
No date has been agreed for the debate on the Elections (Special Provisions) Bill that seeks to make identity cards compulsory for voters in future elections, despite a party leaders meeting in Parliament last week aimed at reaching a consensus. Even though all parties have expressed support for the Bill in principle, there were reservations about rushing it through Parliament without making arrangements to issue national identity cards for all those who don't possess them.

Much of the objections came from the CWC, the TNA and the SLMC who feared that the mandatory use of the IDs to vote in future polls would disenfranchise displaced people from the north and east as well as estate workers most of whom do not have identity cards, the Sunday Times learns.

CWC leader A.Thondaman had suggested an amendment to the Registration of Persons Act that would make an affidavit suffice in place of a birth certificate, which is now mandatory for anyone applying for a national identity card. The TNA too has expressed reservations about passing the bill before the issue of identity cards is complete, especially for those dislocated from their homes in the north and east. The Party has maintained that there has been no proper census in these areas for years and many youth have not had the opportunity to register themselves as voters.

The TNA Parliamentary group leader R.Sampanthan who could not be present at the meeting had sent a letter to the Prime Minister stating that rushing the legislation through would deny a substantial number of Tamil people the opportunity to partake on equal terms in a democratic process and any verdict in such circumstances would be severely flawed.

The government sought to allay their fears by having the Commissioner of the Department Registration of Persons at the meeting. The Commissioner was assured of computers and other technological help to speed up the issuing of Identity cards. It was agreed that it would take at least a year to issue IDs to all those who don't have them.

The Elections Commissioner too was present at the meeting and he pointed out that the Elections Act too would need to be amended to make identity cards compulsory during a poll, as there was no such requirement in the present law. Now a person needs only a polling card to vote and even without one, if one's name is on the electoral list, they could vote after establishing their identity.

Opposition parties had earlier said there was no urgency in bringing the Bill, as the next scheduled poll is the 2005 Presidential Election. The government's introduction of it as an "urgent " bill has led to much speculation that a referendum or an early presidential poll is on the cards.

The government delegation at the meeting included Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, Ministers Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Dinesh Gunawardena and D.E.W.Gunasekera. Others who attended the meeting were Karu Jayasuriya and Joseph Michael Perera (UNP), Rauff Hakeem (SLMC), Gajendran Ponnambalam (TNA) and Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera (JHU).

Justice Minister John Seneviratne presented the Elections (Special Provisions) Bill to parliament in August to make the proof of identity mandatory in all future national and local elections as well as referendums. This Bill will amend the relevant clauses in the Parliamentary Elections Act, the Presidential Elections Act, the Provincial Council Elections Act, the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance as well as the Referendum Act. The party leaders also agreed to appoint a civic committee to oversee the issue of the ID cards.

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