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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WPC opposition leader Rosy Senanayake appoints media secretaries

The opposition of the Western Provincial Council has appointed two councilors to handle the media with immediate effect.

Issuing a special statement the Opposition Leader of the WPC, Ms. Rosy Senanayake said that the Councilor Kithsiri Manchanayake has been appointed as the Media Secretary of the Council.

Meanwhile Councilor Ruwan Wijewardene has been appointed as the Joint Secretary of the Opposition to the media.

According the Ms. Senanayake, this decision was taken at the United National Party group meeting held on September 7 at the Party headquarters Siri Kotha in Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte.

Source: colombopage.com

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WP OPPOSITION HAS NO OFFICE – ROSY SENANAYAKE

Rosy Senanayake, Opposition Leader of the Western Provincial Council says that the she does not have an office to carry out the work of the Opposition.
Addressing a media briefing on Sunday, she said that for democracy to prevail, there had to be a government as well as an opposition.

“As the Opposition leader of the Western Province, I don't have an office. The Governor issued a letter stating that an office be provided to me, but a week has passed by and nothing has happened,” said Ms. Senanayake.

She charged that the ministers in the Council were holding it back and pointed out that, “We are not asking for too many things, but an office to carry out the work of the Opposition”.

Meanwhile, when contacted, the Governor of the Western Province, Alavi Moulana said that the issue was being discussed.

He said that the Opposition Leader of the Western Province should be provided with an office and that he would take measures to provide it as soon as possible.

(Originally Published 7th July 2009) Source: News First

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Despite stats the public should feel an ease in inflation: UNP

UNP’s leader of the Western Provincial Council Rosie Senanayake said that irrespective of statistics the public should feel an ease in inflation. Mrs. Senanayake addressing a media today said that the price of gas and petrol could be provided at a much lower rate than present but the public has been burdened with unnecessary taxes. She added an increase in price in these items directly result in a price increment of essential items.

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Rosy Senanayake appointed WP PC opposition leader

Rosy Senanayake is seen here accepting her appointment letters after being named the Opposition leader for the Western Provincial Council yesterday.

Western Province Provincial Council Member Rosy Senanayake was appointed as the council’s opposition leader, by the UNP, yesterday. She is the first woman to be opposition leader of a provincial council.

The decision to appoint her was made at a Working Committee meeting of the party last afternoon.

PC Member George Perera was appointed as chief opposition whip.

Ms. Senanayake contested the Colombo District and Mr. Perera the Gampaha District, at the recently concluded Western Province PC elections.

All 30 UNP members elected to the WP Provincial Council were sworn in before Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday.

Photograpgh By: Pradeep K. Pathirana
Source: DailyMirror - Sri Lanka

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