Unparliamentary language
Editorial-November 13, 2014, 7:57 pm
UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake stirred up a real hornet’s nest in Parliament on Wednesday by using a derogatory term to describe the men who forced their wives to work as virtual slaves in West Asia so that they could lead comfortable lives here. He called them eunuchs and all hell broke loose. Government MPs tore him to shreds for using unparliamentary language.
There has been a spate of complaints that housemaids’ hard-earned money is wasted by their husbands on gambling, liquor and other women much to the neglect of their children who fall prey to perverts and drug peddlers.
Politicians boast that they have ushered in economic development and the per capita income is increasing steadily. But, stop poor women from doing menial jobs abroad to send the much-needed forex and the national economy will go into a tailspin!
There are said to be various schemes for the benefit of the female expatriate workers who deserve a better deal, but the reward they have got from the state for keeping the economy afloat has been the denial of their right to vote at national elections while they are overseas. Many other countries have, out of gratitude, put in place mechanisms to enable their citizens toiling overseas to exercise their franchise. If expatriate workers, especially those in West Asia, can cast their votes, politicians will be compelled to heed their appeals.
What MP Ramanayake tells us about the housemaids may be somewhat exaggerated as his detractors claim. In the make-believe celluloid word he is a hero combating evil forces and in politics, too, he tries to present the same picture to the public. Once an actor always an actor!
Every politician is an actor in the final analysis. But, MP Ramanayake’s efforts to bring the plight of those unfortunate women, some of whom return home in coffins, to the attention of the lawmakers need to be appreciated; he must not be ridiculed for doing so. An Opposition MP cannot be expected to tell the government what it loves to hear unless, of course, he or she is going to defect.
The issue of housemaids’ suffering is real and it has not been addressed properly. The onus is on Parliament to take it up and find ways and means of putting an end to that practice by making available employment opportunities here.
MP Ramanayake has been accused of having affronted Parliament. MPs, no doubt, ought to exercise control over their tongues and maintain order and decorum of the national legislature. But, the fact remains that he is only a product of a rotten system which stinks to high heaven. Senior politicians like the proverbial crab which tries to teach its offspring how to walk straight urge their misbehaving juniors to refrain from doing what they do themselves—bringing their institutions into disrepute.
Ours is a Parliament where raw filth is liberally traded and not even the private parts of MP monks are safe during brawls. Lawmakers set upon themselves at the drop of a hat so much so that following a free-for-all a few years ago the then Speaker W. J. M. Lokubandara minced no words when he said what he had just witnessed in the House was nothing but terrorism.
‘Eunuch’ is certainly not a decent word, but will someone tell us a more appropriate term to describe not only the husbands who make their wives slave away in Arab countries but also the spineless politicians who shamelessly grovel before their leaders and stomach all indignities while sponging off the hapless public?
Convener of National Movement for Just Society Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero has been hospitalized this morning (Nov 14) due to a sudden ailment.
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