The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Chairperson. I am pleased to add a few words to the debate on the expenditures of the Ministry of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation.

¶ 02 First, I wish to thank the Hon. Minister, the Hon. Deputy Ministers and all officers of the Ministry. I particularly extend special thanks to officials of the Sri Lanka Railways. I saw a very good, important initiative implemented for women: a restroom with proper facilities at the Colombo Fort Railway Station, set up beautifully. For women who use public transport, this is a great asset. We all know the difficulties women face using public transport. We sometimes even avoid drinking water when travelling. Given those hardships, this initiative is deeply meaningful. It is not merely a “restroom”—it has been made in a way that women would want to use it, at a high standard, without embarrassment. I am very grateful to the Minister and all involved for this initiative.

¶ 03 We cannot underestimate the issues women face due to lack of facilities. This affects mobility—not just the ability to travel from point A to point B, but the many opportunities lost due to obstacles to mobility. As we speak—on the eve of International Women’s Day—there are constant references to the low female labour force participation in Sri Lanka. While methodologies of calculation can be debated, a key contributing factor is transport and mobility. The absence of safe, secure, and adequately facilitated public transport excludes many women from the labour force, or makes their participation difficult and discouraging.

¶ 04 Often, women decide whether to accept a job based on transport to the workplace. We all know of women leaving employment or education due to unsafe or inadequate transport, and of broader social exclusion. Any woman who has used public transport here has likely faced such experiences. Safe and secure public transport is not a trivial matter—especially for women, children, and persons with disabilities. Our public transport system was not designed with these citizens in mind. Yet they are citizens, with the right to participate in all processes—transport is critical to that right.

¶ 05 This is not only an economic issue. Consider the elderly, mothers with small children, pregnant women—how difficult our public transport can be. Such circumstances contribute to the marginalisation of women in society.

¶ 06 For persons with disabilities, the situation is worse; our public transport is simply not sensitively designed for them at all. In a civilised society, public transport is accessible to all sections of society. It is everyone’s right, and we cannot accept anything less.

¶ 07 Therefore, this initiative by the Ministry is not a small matter; it is a very important step. It practically demonstrates the values we speak of in our Budget—of building a civilised society, organised on different values, inclusive of all as stakeholders, enabling participation.

¶ 08 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, I also request the Ministry to think about our school system. Transport difficulties severely affect children today. Many schools have very low student numbers primarily due to transport issues and poor road access. This not only prevents children from attending school but also prevents us from deploying teachers to underserved schools. For marginalised and excluded groups, roads and transport are essential to inclusion.

¶ 09 I recall how delighted we were when the Southern Expressway opened and we said we could go to Galle for dinner and return. That is fine—but what are our priorities in road planning? People living far away should be able to come for a film or theatre and return home safely late in the evening. These aspects are crucial for a civilised society. Such facilities must not be limited to a select few or privileged communities. Joy, recreation, culture—these cannot be restricted; they are rights for all humans.

¶ 10 Once again, I thank you for the opportunity and thank the officials of the Ministry for practically advancing the values we have enshrined in our Budget and governance.