GetUp+Vote aims to raise public awareness, educate people on voting, good governance

‘GetUp+Vote - Our Country. Our Time,’ a non-partisan interactive workshop will take place on 9 August at the Sri Lanka Foundation, Independence Square from 1.30-6.30 p.m. The event is being organised by Circle for Democracy, an initiative of launched by the children of the late Lakshman Kadirgamar on the occasion of his 10th death anniversary commemoration. 

The workshop which will be open to 300 participants, aims to raise public awareness for the first-time voter, youth population, and ‘floating’ or yet undecided voters wanting to see positive change in the country. The agenda for the day will include talks and presentations, group brainstorming with a focus on responsible voting based on values and issues, an exercise to practice voting, understanding good governance, and an interactive game. 

Participants will leave informed and knowledgeable about making a tangible difference during the General Election 2015. Topics to be addressed include: The Disease of Corruption and Brutality -the Economic and Social Cost; The Power of Our Vote; Democracy and the Rights Enshrined in the Constitution; Technology and Democratic Change; Being a Change Agent; What Can I Do? How Can I Do It?; and Youth Leadership.

The event will also include a live two-hour webinar linked islandwide to every district in the country through partner organizations and movements. The organisers’ goal is to attract 200 participants per district resulting in the participation of 5,000 people islandwide. 

Event organiser Ragi Kadirgamar, son of the late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, said: “On 8 January we emerged out of a long era of conflict, fear, brutality and corruption. In a time of divisive and often corrupt politics, many voters in this country are disillusioned and as a result do not use their vote. I believe the vast majority of Sri Lankans are moderates, law abiding, and want to live in peace and harmony. Our aim is to try to inspire people to stand up and exercise the power of their vote on the 17th, by showing them that there is a way for this country to move forward through electing members of Parliament that have certain qualities such as honesty, accountability and humility. We are electing the nation’s caretakers, who will serve us for the next four years. We need to do so responsibly and wisely. If we vote in the wrong people we can only blame ourselves.”

Kadirgamar acknowledged the tremendous teamwork involved in the event and thanked all those who are working tirelessly and contributing in so many different ways to organise GetUp+Vote.  There is still opportunity for more participants, volunteers, sponsors, and particularly webinar participants around the country. 

At the conclusion of the GetUp+Vote workshop it is hoped that each participant will communicate his or her learnings and findings to 30 other people, who will reach out to 30 more resulting in a total direct outreach of 270,000 from the workshop. 

The event will conclude with a concert featuring local bands. At the end of the day participants will take away a detailed information pack on the main topics and best practices of the GetUp+Vote campaign material to empower them to inform others of the importance of voting responsibly and wisely.