I’m against celebrities coming out of the blue

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United National Party (UNP) Parliamentarian Rosy Senanayake who is also a strong voice for women in Sri Lanka told the Daily Mirror during an interview that the status of women in the country was in a grave situation. She also spoke about the current political atmosphere in the country, the upcoming Provincial Council Elections and expressed her views about the government’s economic and development agenda.

 

Q: What do you think of the present political situation in the country?
There is a pathetic situation in the country. Sri Lanka has been an unjust, lawless country. Its society has become so insensitive to one another. This is mainly because there is no rule of law, there is no law and order in the country. The criminals are roaming around freely and keep committing crimes. The perpetrators are either politicians or goons of politicians who have political immunity against the law.

The drug menace is plaguing every nook and corner of the country. The heroin culture has spread everywhere and our children and the youth of the country are being sacrificed to it. You cannot afford a packet of milk powder to feed your child but drugs are freely available. Nowhere else in the world would a Prime Minister be in the centre of a heroin scandal. And the government is turning a blind-eye to these crimes which are committed in broad daylight.

We are in the 21st century now. We are a country which gained independence 66 years ago. But we haven’t furthered as a nation with regard to solving social issues and facing global challenges. We haven’t put ourselves on the map on economic progress. We are very much behind in terms of gaining positive international recognition. Our neighbouring country India which was very much behind has now progressed in leaps and bounds in every possible sphere and we are still in the same place.

Q: In your opinion what do you think should be the government’s priorities and what are your views on the government’s development projects?
This government has been in power for so long and one decade of the 21st century has already passed and we are still living with what UNP left behind when we went out of power. The present government has not introduced even one new income-generating project for the nation.

The whole world has evolved into a nano-technological village and a knowledge economy. Some of the best examples are India, China, Taiwan and especially South Korea who have progressed rapidly.  It is because they knew exactly where to invest. When South Korea came out of their turmoil, they invested in education. They recognised that human capital is a nation’s most valuable resource. So my question to the government is where are we investing? Are we only going to be investing in concrete jungles? Infrastructure is important but infrastructure alone is not going to take a country anywhere if we don’t get our priorities right.

We need to prioritise where we are putting our investments. And education should top the list. We live in a borderless global village where science and technology and innovation are the key to move forward. But the education system in Sri Lanka is a pyramid; it keeps eliminating children instead of including them. Parents have to scrape the barrel to give children a good education and send them to university. What about the children whose parents cannot afford to send children to foreign universities or private universities? What is their plight? Does the state even care? Even worse, our education system doesn’t cater to the needs of employment and doesn’t’ prepare children to face challenges in the global village that they live in.

This country has borrowed so much that even in the next 20-25 years, we will be still paying for the loan. But unfortunately we don’t see the government investing in education. They are not investing in health even though malnourishment and stunting among children at a very high rate. In the North and the East, in some districts the percentage of malnourished children is more than 40 percent. If you are talking about development, is this development? The war ended nearly five years ago but still a large chunk of the budget is reserved for the Defence Ministry. What purpose does it serve?

If a country is developing, it should reflect on the people. But in Sri Lanka, the cost of living is unbearable and most households don’t earn enough to cover the basic expenses. According to census data, a basic household with five members need 47,000 rupees per month to survive. But the basic salary of a public servant is 11,000 rupees and maybe with allowances, it will come to 20,000 rupees. And since the study was done, the price of electricity, gas and every other commodity has risen. Today, apart from the air we breathe, we pay taxes on every commodity we use. This is the issue I would like to raise with the government.

The government has not even enhanced the tourism industry. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with a rich history and culture and we have a great product to attract tourists but we have not created the necessary facilities to attract tourists. We don’t market our destination properly. We are not attracting the up-market tourists who will bring in revenue to the country but the budget tourists who come here on a shoe-string budget. Our loss has been the gain of Maldives. They have created their own niche market and they have gained tremendously. But what have we done in a post-war situation to tap the up-market tourism? This is why we need science, technology and intellectual property.

Sri Lanka has the resources but unfortunately we are not investing in these resources. And, I emphasise that the biggest resource of any nation possesses is the human capital and if we don’t invest in our human capital and develop it, we are never going to see the light of the day.

Q: You are a strong activist for women’s rights. As someone who is invested in empowering women, how do you feel about the status of women in our country?
The status of women is very grave where women still feel like second-class citizens. There is no gender equality when it comes to certain issues. There is gender discrimination in the public sector. There are wage disparities in certain sectors. There are so many discriminatory laws which are still existent in the country, even though the constitution talks about upholding women’s rights. Whether women’s rights are being upheld as human rights in this country is questionable at this point of time.

I don’t think this nation has tapped into the true capacity of women.  Many of them are doing low-paid, labour oriented jobs working on estates or in the Middle East. Do you see enough women involved in the decision-making process?

One in three women head households. In the Northern Province alone, there are 89,000 war widows. Child prostitution and child labour is increasing by the day.
I strongly believe that we women need to band together, we women need to take the initiative to fight for our rightful place. We need to make a mark and prove ourselves worthy. It is a tough call in the current context because the prevalent mindset still is that the women’s place is at home or in the informal sector and not in the higher realm of the professional or political spheres.

Q: In your opinion, what is the solution to these issues?
There needs to be rule of law. In the four-year time period of 2008 to 2012, there have been more 33,000 reported cases of violence against women. During these four years, there are more than 24,000 cases of children  abused or harassed. But how many perpetrators have been taken to task and been convicted? Only 620 are convicted and in prison. That is the story. So we need to change this and bring justice. Those responsible need to be taken to courts and punished accordingly. That is the way to make women and children feel safe in the country.



 

Q: In your recent statements who have also highlighted the struggles of migrant women workers and garment workers. In your opinion, how can we tackle their issues?
With regard to migrant women workers, we need to look at other avenues in getting the women engaged in the nation building process and the economy. We are still looking at innocent women to go abroad as slaves to contribute to the economy. It has become a major income-generating industry for us. The second one is the apparel industry. Couldn’t we think of anything beyond that? We need to invest in educating our women and the younger generation. The link-language, English is very important. We need a change in the whole education system. Education is the key to empowering the women and giving them a better life.



 

Q: You were someone who lobbied heavily to get more women involved in politics. And with the upcoming elections we did see several women– specifically actresses and other popular figures - seeking nominations to contest. Now, are you satisfied?
We do need women in politics but women who are serious about serving the nation. Politics is not a glamorous industry; it is a very serious business. Anybody is entitled to enter politics as it is their democratic right but they should be committed, determined, sincere and should be willing to wholeheartedly put their efforts and talents into serving the people.

The political parties also should be very sensitive as to who they give the nominations. Just because we need women it doesn’t mean we take in someone who thinks that politics would pave the way for a power base. That is not what we mean by having more female representation. We need women who have worked at the grassroots level, working in their communities and people who have come through the rank and fire. There are more than 5,000 women trained to take on political leadership at the local councils in this country. There are women who have worked tirelessly for their parties and the ideologies they believe in. They are readily waiting to take on the responsibilities but when it comes to getting the ticket, they find it very difficult because all major parties don’t see women worthy enough to get into politics.

If you take me for an example, I have worked tirelessly with the UNP for 29 years. I didn’t have a ready-made voter base. I didn’t say that I had won a beauty title, therefore I deserve the ticket. At that time, I didn’t think I was worthy enough. And I walked the bricks and the lengths of this nation working for the UNP, facing rubber pellets, tear gas and the wrath of my opponents, going through character assassination. I fought my battles because I wanted to serve the nation. I only got a seat in 2007. I contested for the first time in 2009. This was after working for the party for more than 20 years, proving myself worthy enough. I didn’t top the list at the Western Provincial Council elections because I had a title behind me and I was popular; I topped the list because I had worked tirelessly and I have been a voice especially for women.

I am against anyone coming out of the blue and seeking nomination just because they are popular. You must work for the party, fight the battles and understand the people as well as the ideologies of the party before seeking the ticket. There are people who have fought for the party with their lives and they should get the ticket. But for some parties it is trendy put someone popular and eat at the opponent’s votes. This is the attitude that most political leaders. And in the past we have seen these characters enter, take the votes and then cross-over because they are not sincere. I am not against stars and popular figures entering politics but they should be worthy to enter politics and be committed and loyal to the party and the people of the country.

 

Q: But hasn’t your own party given nominations to these glamorous figures?
Yes, as a party we need to learn from our past. Anyone is free to come and ask for nominations but the sensible leaders need to decide as to who deserves the ticket. It is so sad that politics have become a joke now. We should only give nominations only to die-heard UNPers.

I have a lot of hope in the new leadership council and I am hoping that we will take these issues very seriously and only give the ticket to those who truly deserve it.

Q: Do you believe that with the internal conflicts in the UNP, the party can make a comeback to win the PC elections?
We did have our differences. And when these problems arise, we fight it out and that is what makes the party even stronger. We have solved most of these differences. I am grateful to the Maha Sangha Sabah; they got involved to mediate and bring about a solution. The solution was to form a Leadership Council and it has been formed with Karu Jayasuriya as its chairman. There are other small hiccups but they will of course get ironed out with time.

When it comes to elections we work as one. And if anyone tries to defeat or breakup the party for their personal gains, they won’t succeed and justice will be served. I don’t think anyone who is a true UNPer would want to see UNP losing. We need to collectively fight to bring UNP back into power, not for any individual but for the good of the country and our own children. When the UNP bands together, we can give a good fight.

People think that democracy is only about voting. What they don’t realise is that as much as voting is important, it is equally important to continuously engage themselves with the system and voice their opinions. These politicians think that if they win the elections, they have got the green-light to do whatever they want. It is time to change that. We have gotten a golden opportunity to raise our voices about the issues facing the country and its people.

 

Q:What about Sarath Fonseka’s Democratic Party? Don’t you think that it can pose a challenge to the UNP as well as the government?
I have nothing against the General’s Party but his party cannot form a government. It is nothing without the UNP. This is constructive criticism. Most of the members of the Democratic Party are those who have contested from the UNP earlier and have lost badly in the last elections. They don’t have an edge with the people. They are failed candidates who are coming in on the Democratic Party’s ticket.

The other thing is, the General’s Party is not targeting to bring down the current government. From what I see, he is targeting to eat into the UNP votes. That will never happen. The UNPers will never budge and they will never give up on the UNP ideologies. The Democratic Party candidates are not sincere in bringing the government down. They only want to win and they are not out to make a difference. So I don’t see them coming into power.

Q: Do you think both the UNP and the Democratic Party could gain an advantage by joining forces?
Absolutely. I believe that the General will be a very powerful figure if he joins the UNP. He can only perform with the UNP. He was invited to join the UNP in 2010 after the Presidential Elections to come on the UNP national list. But he immediately declined the UNP ideology then and chose to go with the JVP ideology instead. We have over and over again invited him, even recently and now it is up to him.

I believe that this time a common opposition with the JVP, the Democratic Party and all the minority parties is what we need. If we get together, we can be very powerful.
The people are so disappointed, so disgruntled with the country’s situation right now. They had so much hope in the President after the war but the current government has failed to deliver their promises. People are so desperate that they are willing to risk their lives just to scrape by.

The UNP is the only party which can form a government and bring back normalcy to the country and rise up to the global challenges. Only the UNP has performed in the past when it came to economic strategies. So I think at this time, the common candidate should be a UNPer. At the time, whoever the part determines as the best suitable candidate to rise up to the challenge, will take on the role.
As for the presidential candidate, it should be someone who the people can put their trust in and whoever that is, must abolish the Executive Presidency.

Q: On a final note, what is your stance on the human rights violation allegations levelled against the government by the international community and the upcoming UNHRC in Geneva?
Well, the UNP has always supported the government and we will continue to stand by the government. We as a nation need to stand together. But the government must take note that these allegations were brought on by themselves.  The government appointed the LLRC commission which put together the report and a set of recommendations. The government agreed to implement the recommendations. Then the government should implement them.

I am against external forces telling us what do. But we shouldn’t leave room for that to happen. We should be doing what is right and shouldn’t leave room for anyone to point fingers at us. All the government has to do is implement the LLRC recommendations which are their own recommendations. These are the issues that the government needs to address and do what is right.


Pix by Pradeep Pathirana