Plot to make SL digital colony of India: FSP

The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) has uncovered a plot aimed at turning Sri Lanka into a digital colony of India after gaining control over the personal data of Sri Lankan citizens by disguising it as an initiative to introduce electronic identity cards. 

This was revealed by FSP Education Secretary Pubudu Jayagoda during a media conference held in Kandy.

“The total expenses for issuing electronic identity cards to the Sri Lankan population amounts to Rs. 41.05 billion. India has proposed a grant of Rs. 22.33 billion on the condition that this project is given to an Indian company. With that India will have biometric data including facial features, family lineage, medical history, pharmaceutical usage, bank account details and more of every individual in Sri Lanka. This situation is similar to Sri Lanka being an Indian colony. India has made the Sri Lankan Government agree to this proposal by extending a loan of 4 billion dollars using the economic recession as an excuse. This is a digital invasion,” Jayagoda underscored.

“The tender process for this project was initiated on May 8 of this year, with the deadline set for July 3. This time underwent several changes, targeting one specific company. The closing date was initially pushed to August 14, then changed back to July 18. Following this, August 01 was announced as the new deadline, only to be revised to August 02. What can be the reason behind this change? However by August 02, only two Indian companies, namely Madras Security Printers and Protein Technologies had submitted tender bids. Other companies refrained from participating due to the restrictive tender conditions that mandated accepting unlimited liability. Protein Technologies was rejected due to the absence of a foundational ID project. The decision is to award the tender to Madras Security Printers by tomorrow,” Jayagoda added.

“In 2016, the same company was given the contract to produce stickers for alcohol bottles, but they breeched the trust by issuing their stickers for illegal liquor as well. This action resulted in a significant loss of government revenue worth Rs. 60 billion. The very same company, which was also blacklisted in countries such as Kenya, Liberia and Sudan, is now being considered for the identity card tender. Through this company India seems to be engaged in a digital invasion of Sri Lanka,” he explained.

Therefore, Jayagoda called upon the government to cancel this project immediately and requested citizens to refrain from obtaining the new e-ID card and providing their personal information.