New female MPs determined to usher in new era of governance

Changing the tides in Sri Lanka’s political culture, as many as 21 female representatives have been elected to Parliament under the new regime. What is significant about these female lawmakers is that they contested at the General Election and earned a seat in Parliament rather than being given a seat on behalf of a dead spouse or due to political affiliations. 

The female lawmakers who made their entry into the 10th Parliament are as follows; 

Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathna and Samanmalee Gunasinghe for Colombo, Hemali Weerasekara for Gampaha, Oshani Umanga and Nilanthi Kottahachchi for Kalutara, Thushari Jayasinghe and Chamindranee Kiriella for Kandy, Deepthi Wasalage and Rohini Kaviratne for Matale, Krishnan Kaleychelvi and Anushka Thilakaratna for Nuwara Eliya, Hasara Liyanage for Galle, Saroja Paulraj for Matara, Muthu Rathwatte for Digamadulla, Geetha Herath for Kurunegala, Hiruni Wijesinghe for Puttalam, Ambika Samuel for Badulla, Chathuri Gangani for Monaragala, Nilusha Gamage for Ratnapura and Sagarika Athauda for Kegalle. 

The Daily Mirror spoke to a few of these female politicians and almost all of them believe that this new wave of change would be a good opportunity to do away with traditional party politics and usher in a new era of governance. 

“This is a result of love, cooperation and unity”

 - Ambika Samuel

“This is the first time that people of all ethnicities got together to vote for a Tamil candidate from the upcountry,” said Ambika Samuel who received much attention and support for her campaign as she became a strong voice for the Malaiyaha Tamil community. “This is a result of love, cooperation and unity. We have been able to bring racist political agendas carried out by former politicians and political leaders to a halt. But this opportunity is also a big responsibility. Now that people have voted me in I have a greater responsibility to fulfill. Three of my priority areas include granting land rights and right to health and education for the plantation community,” Samuel added.  

“Women and children need to be free and safe”

- Saroja Paulraj

The newly appointed Minister for Women’s and Children’s Affairs Saroja Paulraj is the first Tamil speaking female MP to be elected from Matara district. Speaking about the priorities under her subject Minister Paulraj said that it is imperative to ensure that women are free, that they have a safe environment to work in especially in their workplaces and to establish a safer country for children.  

“We will focus more on streamlining Child Care and Probationary services and will also work towards resolving the mounting number of cases at the National Child Protection Authority. We have also identified the need to upgrade conditions in safe houses for women who have undergone various forms of harassment and violence. They need to be empowered and reintegrated into society.”

She further said that irrespective of the party, all lawmakers need to get together to resolve issues pertaining to women and children. “For instance we need to collaborate with the Justice Ministry, Ministry of Children and Women’s Affairs to enact laws to ensure the safety of women and children. Therefore we look forward to a productive service period in Parliament.”  

“There are many outdated laws that need to be abolished or reformed” 

-Kaushalya Ariyaratne

“We have developed a collective movement and as individuals we have contributed to the collective campaign,” said Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne, another newcomer from the NPP. “So it’s not an individual campaign. I have been working at grassroots level on areas such as human rights and gender justice and I feel that the NPP is the best place to contribute. There are many outdated laws that need to be abolished or reformed. With my expertise I can contribute my knowledge to discussions on law reforms and on policies that are being made on gender justice. As women the party has given us a lot of space to discuss our ideas and bring them to the policy level. I have contributed to develop the women’s policy, youth policy, social cohesion policy and many other policies. I believe that my aspiration for a better world can be realised through the mechanism of this policy-making process,” she added. 

“It’s time to think beyond party politics”

-Rohini Kaviratne

“One thing I’m happy about is the fact that this Parliament will witness the highest number of female representatives,” said Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Rohini Kaviratne. “There are around 150 newcomers this time and it would take a while for newcomers to adjust to the system. So I hope that they are ready to think beyond party politics and work for the betterment of the people. There should be an opportunity for newcomers to learn from senior politicians and vice versa. This is the third time I contested for an election and won from my electorate. If you’re with the people they will ensure your victory. Therefore I hope that this Parliament and its fresh set of representatives will dedicate their time and energy for the greater good of this country and its people,” she underscored. 

“I want to uplift the livelihoods of women”

-Chamindranee Kiriella

After a hiatus of 21 years, people of Kandy have voted for a female candidate to enter Parliament. SJB’s first time contestant Chamindranee Kiriella is ready to work with her NPP colleague from Kandy Thushari Jayasinghe to uplift the lives of women in their community. “Despite having the world’s first female Prime Minister, women’s representation in Parliament reduced drastically. So I’m happy that I have been elected and it was nice to see many people supporting my campaign. I hope we can look beyond party politics and work for the people. In fact I want to make use of this opportunity to uplift the livelihoods of women who seek self-employment as they are unable to leave their children at home and go to work. In Sri Lanka we don’t have a proper daycare system and therefore many women are unable to earn a living. This is one area that I’m planning to focus on,” she added.  

“We will not be warming chairs in Parliament”

-Samanmalee Gunasinghe

Speaking about the victory, NPP’s Colombo District MPSamanmalee Gunasinghe said that this is a historic milestone for the party as 20 of their female members have been elected to Parliament.  “We were able to bring about a paradigm shift in the political culture of Sri Lanka. Back then women were excluded from politics and were confined to their households. But we have been able to do away with such archaic stereotypes and provide a platform for any female to enter politics irrespective of social status,” she added. 

Gunasinghe further said that they will not be a set of females who would simply be warming chairs in Parliament. “We are ready to fight with even 100 men. We will provide our fullest support to PM Amarasuriya, Saroja and all other Cabinet ministers. In addition we will deliver quality speeches in Parliament and we want to ensure that we don’t waste our and people’s time by making unwanted statements, comments and remarks when in the House. We want to transform the Parliament into an institution that would provide a learning experience for all citizens in this country including children. It should no longer be a place where female representatives go to flaunt their best necklace or saree. We want to transform our Parliament into a stronger institution and set an example to the world,” she said.