POLL: The sexism in Sri Lanka’s Parliament
Photo courtesy AP-
11 Jul, 2013
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Sri Lanka’s Parliament has an ignoble track record of sexism. In June, the entire country was shamed by its inclusion in the Guardian’s Top 10 sexist moments in politics, anchored to an offensive comment by the Rajapaksa regime’s Minister of Transport Kumara Welgama against fellow MP Rosy Senanayake.
Sri Lanka’s Parliament has an ignoble track record of sexism. In June, the entire country was shamed by its inclusion in the Guardian’s Top 10 sexist moments in politics, anchored to an offensive comment by the Rajapaksa regime’s Minister of Transport Kumara Welgama against fellow MP Rosy Senanayake.
Not to be outdone, we now have the Speaker of Parliament, Chamal Rajapaksa (brother of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa) reported in web media noting that women taking the lead sometimes obstructs work in progress and furthermore that they also impede justice.
One recalls that Sri Lanka’s first female Chief Justice, Shirani Bandaranayake, was unceremoniously ousted earlier this year by the Rajapaksa regime (read The devastating impeachment of the Chief Justice in Sri Lanka: Interview with Asanga Welikala).
What do you think about the Speaker’s sexist comments?
Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa says women taking the lead sometimes obstructs work & impedes justice. Your reaction?
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Working With Women Is Difficult – Sri Lanka’s Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa
July 11, 2013
Women taking the lead sometimes obstructs work in progress, Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa said.
The Speaker made these remarks when the Women’s parliamentary group met at the Parliamentary Complex today under the chairmanship of Minister Sumedha Jayasena.
“This is not something I am saying. When women take the lead there is a tendency to not listen to anyone else. It is like this in a lot of places. It becomes difficult to work. If a woman is in charge of a District Secretariat or Divisional Secretariat or any other high office, they have a tendency to exert their authority over that place. So because of that, sometimes justice is not done,” Speaker Rajapaksa said.
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Govt. thwarts Rosy’s move to get more women
THURSDAY, 11 JULY 2013
The government today thwarted an attempt by UNP MP Rosy Senanayake to present a private member’s bill seeking to reserve 30 percent of slots for female candidates at local government elections.When Ms. Senanayake was about to present the bill, Chief Government Whip Dinesh Gunawardane said a private member’s bill should be presented only after observations by the Attorney General. He said the procedure to be followed had been laid down in the Standing Orders governing parliamentary affairs.
However, JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said JHU MP Ven. Athuraliye Ratana Thera also presented a similar bill without following that procedure recently.
“Ven. Ratana Thera presented a bill seeking to amend the Constitution. At that moment, no such objection was raised. I want to know why a different system is applied when opposition MPs try to introduce private members’ bills,” he said.
Mr. Gunawardane said he had no issue with the content of Ms. Senanayake’s bill.
“I only stressed that the due procedure should be followed. If MP Dissanayake has any query, it should be directed at the chair,” he said.
Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakkody said the presentation of the new bill would be referred to the next parliamentary week since there was objection raised this time. (Kelum Bandara and Yohan Perera)
