Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Navigating the Bureaucratic Maze- Srianee Dias

Navigating the Bureaucratic Maze Leading to the National Identity Card

Srianee Dias

I received this email from Srianee, and after reading it, I had no hesitation in posting it. I hope readers enjoy it and find it as amusing and entertaining l as I did.

Hi Mahen, I wrote this for its entertainment value, but some people may find it helpful.  Your choice to publish and there is no rush at all. Warm greetings (literally!), Srianee

Now that I have decided to move back to Sri Lanka in the not-too-distant future, I have a checklist to get through.  One of the most challenging items on the list was obtaining a National Identity Card.  This system was not in existence when I left in 1970 and I had not felt the need to get a National ID Card during my short visits in the past. I realised that staying here permanently would be different, so I decided to tackle the task head-on, in spite of the horror stories I had been hearing about bribery, unwieldy crowds and who knows what else? 

The adventure began with a visit to the Grama Niladhari responsible for our area (Kurunduwatte).  My brother Gihan kindly offered to accompany me to the GN’s office.  It was a decrepit, poorly maintained building located on Gothamipura Road, on the edge of the manicured links of the Colombo Golf Club.  The GN had limited office hours, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.  At the entrance to the building, there was a deep culvert bridged by a rather unstable concrete slab.  As we stepped over it and entered the waiting area that Tuesday morning, we were relieved to see just two other people waiting.  The GN was a fortyish friendly man who was sitting behind a cluttered desk.  He immediately recognized Gihan because of previous, obviously favourable encounters.  He gave no indication that he was waiting for a ‘bribe,’ and I wasn’t planning to offer one anyway!  He listened to my situation (first time NIC, Dual Citizen) and gave me a list of documents that I needed to gather before proceeding.  He also rummaged through his files and handed me a bunch of forms, that he suggested I fill out.  (Some of them had nothing to do with my objectives). 

The documents I needed included a duplicate of my Dual Citizenship certificate because I only had a photocopy of my original certificate in my possession.  (The original was safely stored with my other important documents in Connecticut.). Since my present surname is not the one on my birth certificate, I had to obtain a copy of my marriage certificate.  I forged ahead on my own this time, paying visits to two separate offices for these documents: the Divisional Secretariat and the Immigration/ Passport offices in Battaramulla.  I was pleased to obtain them with relative ease because everything is digitized now.  Luckily, I remembered the year and month of my marriage!  There were fees to pay, of course, but the people at the various counters (and there were many ) were very pleasant and helpful.  In addition, the GN had asked me to photocopy various pages of my old expired Sri Lankan passport and specific pages of my current US passport.  I couldn’t understand the need for these, but I obediently followed the directions as instructed. 

Once all these documents were collected I returned to the GN’s office accompanied by my brother.  There were a few more people in the waiting area this time.  We struck up a conversation with an older man who appeared to be an assistant to the GN.  He asked If I had a copy of the digital photo.  “What photo?”  I asked because the GN had not said anything about a photo.  The conversation drew in others who were waiting and Gihan got directions from a young man to a studio licensed by the NIC authorities.  Off we went out into the blazing sunshine again.  We drove to an area that was quite unfamiliar to me and Gihan double parked in an alley because parking spaces were non-existent on the street.  He stayed in the car with the AC on, and I headed out along the pavement, looking for a studio that could take this official photo for me.  I passed a couple of photo studios and found the right one after a few inquiries.  I went up a steep staircase to a small studio where a helpful young man obligingly took the photo according to the required specifications.  The photo was digitally transmitted to the NIC authorities and a copy was handed to me. 

We drove back to the GN’s office, where he made sure that every form was properly filled out and then inserted them into a large brown envelope which I had brought along.  After folding and stapling the envelope, he stamped it with his very important rubber stamp.  He then instructed me to take the completed application to the Divisional Secretariat Office (Thimbirigasyaya District) on Elvitigala Mawatha. 

After all this, I needed a few days to recover before moving on to the next step.

The receptionist at the Divisional Secretariat Office instructed me to go to the second floor and hand in the application.  The lifts were jammed, so I took the stairs and found the appropriate counter to hand in the brown envelope.  The young woman there opened the envelope and checked the forms for accuracy.  She corrected the incorrect Sinhala spelling of my name on one of the forms.  (I had followed my brother’s guidance in writing out my name in Sinhala earlier!!).  She folded the envelope again, stapled and stamped it with her own rubber stamp, and then placed the all-important brown envelope in a log book/register, which I had to sign.  She instructed me to take the register to the third floor, get the Grama Niladhari there to counter-sign the register, and then bring it back to her.  I trudged up the stairs again, thinking that perhaps the higher the floor, the more important the bureaucrat.  By this time I felt that I was a character in Shehan Karunatilleke’s ‘Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’ floating from counter to counter in the afterlife! 

On the third floor I found my way to the correct office without difficulty.  I walked into a waiting area, surrounded by several offices, which was much nicer than the one in Kurunduwatte!  There was no sign of the Grama Niladhari, although I could see through the glass walls of the waiting area that there were a few female officers at their desks in some of the other offices.  A group of them were having a leisurely tea break or early lunch break! I waited patiently in the waiting area for about half an hour, although it seemed longer, and then decided  that I needed to be assertive.  I knocked on the door of one of the occupied offices and inquired about the wherabouts of the GN.  I explained that all I needed was for someone to sign the register, so that I could be on my way.  The female officer was sympathetic and found another person who had the authority to sign the log book/register.  (All the while I was thinking, how important is all this?)

Back down the stairs I went, so that I could return the register to the second floor so that some other person could repeat this meaningless dance. 

Armed with my triple-checked, sealed, stamped brown envelope, I ventured back into the late morning sunshine.  I climbed into a tuk-tuk and headed to the Immigration and Emigration Department in Battaramulla.  There were hordes of people waiting for new passports and various other documents.  The Sri Lankan army personnel were handling crowd control, and everything seemed orderly, in spite of the large numbers of people milling around.  I got directions to the office handling NIC applications.  It was on the ninth floor, but thankfully the lifts were not crowded!  An army officer placed my precious brown envelope in a folder marked 178 and directed me to a waiting area. My heart sank when I saw about 200 people calmly waiting in their seats.  But had to keep going, so when I spotted an empty seat, I walked over and sat down.  But soon after I sat down, another army officer came over and asked me in Sinhala, “How old are you?”  Apparently, grey hair has its advantages!  He took me to the front of the room, inquired about my mission, and directed me to the next place I needed to get to.  There were a few more counters to visit, and a few more fees to be paid, but the next few steps were easy. 

I had requested ‘same-day service’ and could have waited several more hours (who knows how many?) to pick up my card that same day. However, I had found out from one of the friendly faces behind a counter that they would hold them until 12:00 noon the following day and then mail any remaining cards. I didn’t cherish the thought of hanging around any longer. 

 I returned the next day, presented my receipt at the correct counter, and finally picked up the National Identity Card!  One more item checked off my list!

11 comments:

  1. Srianee, this shows your determination and goal directed behaviour pattern! It was nice to know that nobody indicated the need for a "santhosam" although the pathway you had to tread was typically cumbersome and without real meaning and probably done that way "because it was always done that way". Well done! Great achievement.

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  2. Srianee
    So you had a trip round and round Colombo seeing places which you had not visited.
    I am surprised that the Grama Niladari didn't ask you to get a photo ! How could you have a ID Card without a photo !
    You commented regarding "my knitting a Cardigan" saying I have self determination, Srianee you too have self determination. Well done !
    Glad you have decided to settle down in Sri Lanka after living abroad for so long. Nothing like ' Home sweet Home'
    I believe in the above with all the problems we are facing at the moment.We will see you more often. It is lovely to meet our batchmates in our old age as we don't have much long to live.
    Chira

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  3. Srianee
    Beautifully written in logical sequence. You do have a remarkable memory to remember in such intricate detail every step. What a palaver and a rigmarole to get a document although an important one. Your tenacity and persistence stand out. It is a stark reminder of the time I left SL and the hassle I had to get my passport and clearance from the taxman and other organisations. What took the longest was handing over my ration book!!! This whole process took me days and it seems nothing has changed in the government machinery since those halcyon days. We all feel happy that no one wanted a back-hander to get the job done.
    Well done Srianee - you've done it.

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  4. Mahen, Chira and Nihal, thank you for your input and comments. I felt quite proud of myself after the ordeal was over! As Nihal has commented "Nothing has changed." We are stuck in our archaic ways! As I was pushing ahead on my mission, I kept thinking, is it any wonder that Sri Lanka is lagging behind other countries like Bangladesh? Nihal, I remember very clearly my interview with the taxman before my initial departure to the US. He asked me and my husband if we were intending to return to Sri Lanka? When we said that we planned to return after specialization, he shook his head and said "You will never come back to live here!" I guess he was partly right! The reason I remembered the details of this recent adventure because I took notes. I had to! I didn't think I could remember every stupid thing they required me to do.

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  5. I remember buying something from a govt shop a long time ago and it was again an obstacle course starting with paying and receieving 3 or 4 copies in different colours. The next stop in the shop was to hand over one of the copies so that the goods I paid for could be packaged. The next stop was to validate that I have given the receipt so that the goods could be packed. Then I had to go downstairs to a collection point with a long queue and on showing the last stamped receipt, my goods were handed to me. I had to leave the shop where a man had to clear you to leave by looking at the receipt and the goods to make sure I was not a thief in disguise! I am sure those days are over.
    Even in the UK, I recall a time when Health Authorities collected all sorts of data for "statistical purposes" but nobody knew what happened to the data and the result of any analysis. When questioned, they said that it was a "legal requirement" to send all the junk data that was of no use to anybody. Again, times have fortunatley changed. These are examples of floating a boat down the river without knowing why but doing so because it was always done - and don't be foolish enough to aks questions, just do it!

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    1. I think the multiple copies and stamps were required at Laksala in the old days. I have not been there recently so I don't know if the system has been streamlined.

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  7. I recall so well just an insignificant but an interesting episode when I went to get my tax sorted before departure from SL. I went to that office with a friend for company and also for some moral support as we did in those distant days. We were there in the queue. As I came to the top of the queue the guy who was to deal with my tax just walked off and came out into the corridor and lit a cigarette. My friend and I were amazed at his audacity and lack of dedication to duty. He inhaled every bit of the smoke and I can still picture the satisfaction there was in his face. The guy returned to his seat with all of the 3 Roses in his lungs and ready to deal with my problem. He was pretty abrupt and combative but finished his task most reluctantly. It was plain to see he didnt enjoy his job. We dare not complain in those days - perhaps that has changed now.

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    1. Nihal, this is very typical of Sri Lankan government workers. They just don't care. In fact, on my second visit to the local Grama Niladhari's office, he left his office on an errand, cheerfully telling the people who were waiting that he would be back soon, got on his motor bike and rode off. I was quite annoyed thinking he was gone for the day, but he did return as promised.

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  8. I enjoyed reading your article Srianee, getting embroiled in red tape!
    When I returned home on the 1st of January 1975, after completing my PG study leave, I applied for a car permit; cars were allowed only if you had cash earned abroad. To prove it, I had to submit many documents inclusive of salary slips, bank statements, counterfoils of cheque books etc. I was asked many questions such as "You have issued a cash cheque for GBP 5.00, on the 23rd of June 1973, what was it for?" It took one year for me to obtain a car permit. Only two models of cars were allowed to be imported; Nissan (Datsun) Sunny or Toyota Corolla. I opted for the former. I included a bicycle in my sea baggage and after it arrived, I used to cycle from Wellawatte to LRH, until the car arrived. My monthly salary was Rs. 900.00. Bus fare was 25 cents and lunch costed Rs 1.60, in the Senior Common Room, in the Faculty. Rice was served only on three days of the week and manioc, sweet potato or string hoppers, on the other two days. There was no private practice. As I was single and living with my parents. I led a comfortable life with my meagre salary.

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  9. Sanath, I'm glad you enjoyed my 'saga.' Thanks for sharing your experiences too. I haven't been on a bus recently, but I wonder what the bus fares are these days? I was a regular bus traveler during Medical College days. First from Wellawatte, briefly from Thimbirigasyaya and then from Mt Lavinia, until my family moved to Rockwood Place. Then I had the luxury of walking to the Medical Faculty!!

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