Dual Citizenship At A Price!

By Bandula Kothalawala –November 19, 2015

According to a news item in today’s papers, some 2,000 Sri Lankan expatriates were “awarded” certificates of dual citizenship at a ceremony held at Temple Trees on 17 November 2015 by HE Maitripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka. One is struck by the solemnity and grandeur of the occasion, apparently, graced by a constellation of local dignitaries including the Prime Minister. Nevertheless, there seems to be something odd about this particular spectacle.

In the first place, Sri Lankans who became citizens of another country should not have been stripped of their nationality. They should have been allowed to retain their nationality. In fact, Sri Lanka is one of the very few countries in the world, the citizens of which automatically lose the right to the nationality of their own country when they become citizens of another country. It is the prerogative of each and every nation to define the rules governing the retention and/or the acquisition of nationality. However, the state should exercise that right with fairness. It is hard to understand why a Sri Lankan citizen should automatically lose his/her nationality just because s/he becomes a citizen of another country. Many of us have obtained foreign nationality for a variety of reasons including hassle free travel. I have been working in the International Department of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in London for over 26 years now. It would have been impossible for me to do my job as an international policy officer, as it involves frequent travel to various parts of the world. A Sri Lankan passport holder has to secure an entry visa for all but a few countries in the world. Very often, s/he has to apply for a visa, at least, three or four weeks in advance, depending on the destination and often cough up a tidy sum, in addition to filling in numerous forms accompanied with voluminous supporting documentation.

It is hard to understand why the acquisition of foreign nationality by a Sri Lankan is considered an offence punishable by withdrawal of his/her nationality. In the recent past, the media have reported on a spate of financial and other scandals involving people of all walks of life including prominent politicians of all hues. The lurid details published in the media would certainly make many a politician in the so-called banana republics blush. Curiously, those allegedly involved in the unsavoury deals are all deemed fit and proper persons to continue to be Sri Lankans unlike the expatriates who have chosen foreign citizenship for whatever reason. I hasten to add that I am not suggesting for a second that they be deprived of their nationality. I am only pointing to the fact that there seems to be limitless tolerance for one category of citizens and zero tolerance for others. If the acquisition of foreign nationality is so serious an offence, one wonders why it has been made possible to recover it, albeit at a price! According to the criteria for dual nationality published by the Department of Immigration and Emigration only those who have considerable financial resources at their disposal are eligible to apply for it. http://www.immigration.gov.lk. The fee per applicant is LKR 250,000, with some reductions for spouse and children.                                                                Read More