Women to the fore
Editorial-September 2, 2013
In Jaffna, a women-only independent group is in the PC polls fray, as we reported yesterday. This is an interesting development in Sri Lanka’s male dominated politics.
Leader of Independent Group 9, Thambipillai Udayarani has, explaining her outfit’s decision to field only female candidates including widows at the PC election, said that the mainstream political parties do not look after the interests of the war-affected women, especially widows and children. There are believed to be about 60,000 war widows in the North and the East alone. Needless to say, they and their children are undergoing untold hardships.
Udayarani’s organisation is still a pressure group trying to punch above its weight electorally and how it will perform at the upcoming polls remains to be seen. A women’s group has its work cut out in trying to secure a toehold in conservative, northern politics. The same goes for the other parts of the country as well though we boast of having produced the world’s first woman prime minister. But, if the Independent Group 9 keeps working hard, even after the polls, undeterred by obstacles in its path, it might be able to emerge as a force to be reckoned with.
Women are slaving away on plantations, in West Asia and in sweatshops of the Free Trade Zone to keep the national economy afloat. But, what have they got in return? They cannot even travel in buses and trains without being sexually harassed and they are not safe at workplaces as well if the high incidence of sexual abuse of female workers reported from some state institutions is any indication. They are suffering in silence. Children are equally vulnerable and the situation is fast deteriorating.
Women account for 51 percent of Sri Lanka’s population, but are terribly underrepresented in all political institutions. It is high time they fought for their due place in electoral politics instead of being grateful for small mercies like quotas.
The Independent Group 9 has sent an example to all Sri Lankan women. It is worthy of emulation.
Cops in the doghouse
The hullabaloo over canine weddings has not yet died down and the officers of the police kennel division are still in the doghouse. Having got some straitlaced politicians’ goat they are likely to face an inquiry because they stand accused of what is being described as the offensive use of the ‘poruwa’ associated with traditional Sri Lankan wedding ceremonies.
The opponents of canine weddings are apparently labouring under the delusion that man is far superior to the dog. But, in our book, it is the married men who cheat on their wives, get caught with their pants down in bordellos, rape women and children and gratify their sadistic desires at the expense of their hapless spouses, who make a mockery of not only the ‘poruwa’ but also the institution of marriage itself. The same may be said of women given to infidelity. Therefore, the police dogs which were made to tie the knot at the recent mass ‘wedding’ must have been rather annoyed; they may have considered it an affront to their dignity!
If politicians and the police bigwigs are averse to canine weddings, they should instruct the police kennel division to stop such events and leave the dogs alone. Instead of blowing the issue out of proportion they ought to concentrate on how to tackle the high crime rate and deal with those who are blatantly violating election laws in the provinces that are going to the polls shortly.
The real issue is not the police dogs being made to tie the knot but the government’s failure to tie the mad dogs within its ranks short.
