IS IT ETHICAL TO CELEBRATE VICTORY WITHOUT GEN. FONSEKA, ASKS ROSY SENANAYAKE

All parliamentarians received invitations for the heroes day celebration, but not General Sarath Fonseka, the person responsible for the victory. Is it ethical, asks parliamentarian Rosy Senanayake.

Ms. Senanayake, the UNP MP, expressed this view at a meeting held in the Kosgama area in Awissawella yesterday.

“We are all very happy that our brave soldiers, who risked life and limb, were able to militarily defeat the LTTE and emerge victorious. All parliamentarians including myself, received invitations. However, General Sarath Fonseka, the person who is responsible for this victory and whose victory we must in fact celebrate, did not receive an invitation.

This then is the ethical government,” she said.

Commenting on the cost of living, Ms. Senanayake said that the government, which slashed taxes on motor vehicles, had inconvenienced the public by imposing taxes on essential goods.

“When an individual visits a shop to purchase yams or rice to fulfill his daily meal requirement, he will have to return home with a motor vehicle.

“Why? Because the taxes on motor vehicles have been reduced by 50 per cent. They are putting you into great difficulty by imposing taxes on bread, dhal, sugar and milk powder. This is the reality,” said Rosy Senanayake, UNP MP. (News First)

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POLICE OFFICER APOLOGISES TO MP ROSY SENANAYAKE IN SC

A chief police inspector apologized to the UNP parliamentarian Rosy Senanayake in the Supreme Court today.

He was the first respondent named in a petition filed by Ms. Senanayake claiming that her fundamental rights had been violated.

When the case was called up before a three judge bench comprising justices Shirani Thilakawardena, P. A. Ratnayake and S. I. Imam, the chief police inspector apologized to her.

Subsequently, the MP withdrew her petition.

The petition stated that when Ms. Senanayake was taking part in a protest campaign ‘Jana Bala Kahala Nadaya’, organized by the United National Party on June 03, 2008 against the escalating prices of goods, the police officer had insulted her in foul language.

At the time of the incident, Ms. Senanayake had been travelling in a vehicle accompanied by parliamentarian Chandrani Bandara.

Ms. Senanayake had sought compensation amounting to Rs. 1 million over the incident.

Meanwhile, the MP expressed these views at a media briefing today.

“If the 17th Amendment was in place, the police do not have to listen to politicians. It won’t be politicized, and that was what I wanted to say,” said Ms. Senanayake. (News 1st)

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‘Onimka Gallery’ opening ceremony

Onimka Gallery opened its doors to customers recently (March 18). Situated at No.110, Havelock Road, Colombo - 05, this venture by Nelka Abeysinghe and her husband Dimuthu Gunaratne features sarees, shoes, handbags, jewellery and stationery.

Mrs. Rosy Senanayake, Opposition Leader of the Western Provincial Council and UNP Chief Organizer for Colombo West graced the occasion as chief guest despite her busy schedule.

The lighting of the traditional oil lamp took place with Mrs. Rosy Senanayake lighting it first continued by the couple and their immediate family members and friends.

Sarees at Onimka Gallery are imported from India and they are available in most types from normal everyday wear sarees to designer bridal ones. The shoes are imported from Thailand while jewellery is imported from India and Thailand. The stationery is brought down from Singapore while locally made products are also available.

By Sarah Kellapatha for DailyMirror

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UNP women’s manifesto pledges bigger role for women

Opposition UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday encouraged the participation of women at decision-making levels in all sectors while pledging to increase women’s representation in local government bodies, public institutions and parliament.

Addressing a ceremony to launch the UNP election manifesto for women, Mr. Wickremesinghe said the participation of women in the education and health sectors was high and it should be increased in other areas as well.

“Women play a significant role in society. Therefore they must be encouraged to reach further heights and must be given the support to do so,” the UNP leader said. He said stringent laws should be introduced to ensure that the rights of women were protected.

He said many women in the North and East had been severely affected by the war and that their needs had not been met. “These women must be provided with relief to get about their lives. The ones who represent the people in parliament don’t know how to address the people’s needs. I think they should work in the kitchen for a change,’ he said.

He said the UNP intended to provide Rs.1 million for each village that required development. “This will further develop the women and the society too will be strengthened as a result,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said.

Western Provincial Councilor, Rosy Senanayake said she was certain that Opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe would become Prime Minister and ensure the proper place for women in society. She added that one of the main factors mentioned in the Mahinda Chinthanaya was the promise to increase the participation of women in politics which she said had not been the case.

By Olindhi Jayasundere for DailyMirror

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Rosy Senanayake: Women’s Representation in Politics

Q:What do you think of the women’s representation in politics in Sri Lanka and what is it that a female candidate offers the public over the promises made by a male candidate?

Back in 1931 women’s representation in the Parliament was 4.5% and 79 years later it is now 5%.This clearly needs to increase. Women need to contribute with a strong voice and bring in to discussion women’s issues such as women’s rights, for example the Women’s Rights Bill that was shelved after the UNP brought it up in 2004.

Q:Do you think that there needs to be a legislative move to improve women’s participation in politics? And when/if you are appointed to parliament will you push for it?

Yes, there is a need to have a legislative move to improve women’s participation in politics and that is why I’m contesting. Women account for 20% of the UNF Working Committee. It is definitely something I will work towards.

I’m also fighting for a quota system. At a provincial level there needs to be at least 30% women’s representation. Countries that have implemented the quota system to increase women’s presence in politics have proven to be successful countries.

Right now we have ‘ready made women’ that come in to power.

It is usually a husband’s wife, a brother’s sister or a father’s daughter and it is their relationship to these famous or well known male characters that give them a chance to enter politics. That too has to change.

Q:Is it that the political sphere is not ready for more women or that women are not ready for politics?

Women are definitely ready for politics. At the grassroot level it is women that go from house to house to work towards enabling the men to come in to power.

They distribute handbills and who leads the way during protests? It is women. Women have to be given a chance to enter the decision making process as well.

Q:Politics, as they say, is a very dirty game and in Sri Lanka where it is a male dominated dirty game how does a woman participate while still retaining her dignity?

It is an absolutely difficult task, for a woman to thrive in politics even within one’s own party. You have to deal with thuggery, character assassination. But a woman politician has to be dedicated to win the people’s hearts and her sincerity can win over people.

Q:What do you think of the calibre of the female candidates contesting the upcoming Parliamentary Elections?

I would say any day that the women candidates are far better than some of the male candidates we have contesting.

Q:What advice would you give young women hoping to enter politics in the future?

Fight the system, fight the present electoral system. A good education is not enough anymore. We have enough graduates fighting rubber bullets and tear gas day in and day out. We need people intelligent enough to make politics a clean, admirable profession.

As today is International Women’s Day the Daily Mirror spoke to two women candidates, of the forthcoming Parliamentary Elections, Ms. Rosie Senanayake and Upksha Swarnamali both are from the UNP.

By Dilini Algama for DailyMirror

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UNP to come out with manifesto for women

The main opposition UNP yesterday said it would come up with a special manifesto for women on March 10 and create history by becoming the first political party in the country to come up with such a manifesto.

Opposition Leader of the Western Provincial Council and UNP Colombo District Candidate Rosy Senanayake told a news conference yesterday that this manifesto would focus on several key areas.

This, she said, include increasing women’s representations in local bodies, provincial councils and Parliament, addressing the issues faced by women with regard to poverty and addressing issues faced by them in the post war situation which the country was in today. She said the party was focusing its attention in increasing women’s representation in local bodies to 30 percent while increasing it in other institutions according to a quota system.

She explained there were countries which had been able to establish successful governments by increasing women’s representation in Parliament. She said the women’s representation in Sri Lanka in politics was less than 5 percent though over 50 percent of the country’s population and 56 percent of the voters were women.

Ms. Senanayake said the party was looking towards giving a proper training to women who go to Middle East in search of greener pastures, like in Philippines.

She said it was sad to see there were no women in the ruling UPFA’s Colombo District list though Western Province records the highest representation of women in various high positions in the government and private sector.

By Yohan Perera and Dilini Algama for DailyMirror

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Rosy calls for police protection

Rosy Senanayake, Opposition leader of the Western Provincial Council and UNP Chief Organiser for Colombo West has requested the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for police protection for her personal safety. In a letter to the IGP, Ms. Senanayake has stated that she is directly involved in the election campaign of General Sarath Fonseka.

Pointing out that while attending a meeting at Kadawatha yesterday, she had faced an incident that threatened her personal safety, Ms. Senanayake had stated that her vehicle had also been damaged. She had lodged a complaint at the Kadawatha police.

She had also been getting threatening telephone calls both on her mobile phone as well as the land line, Ms. Senanayake had stated in her letter to the IGP.

Source: SriLankaGuardian.org

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