The Hon. (Mrs.) Anushka Thilakarathne, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, I am pleased you are presiding.

¶ 02 On this debate, sought by the Government side for International Women’s Day, I will focus on women’s political participation. From childhood through adulthood, women play many roles, but in countries like ours the political role remained limited. In the last Parliamentary and local elections, the NPP helped increase women’s participation to some extent, thanks to deliberate effort.

¶ 03 Christine Pintat’s study on 179 Parliaments shows many women see politics as a men-only game—statistics from 2016 affirm this. From childhood we were told politics is not for us. In village societies—farmers’, Samurdhi, elders’, funeral aid societies—mothers and sisters run the meetings, but few of us saw mothers or sisters lead political gatherings. Political illiteracy and lack of opportunity held women back.

¶ 04 We changed that last year. Women’s representation in Parliament is now about 10%—22 women MPs, 20 from the Government benches. This is a collective victory supported by thousands of women activists. In local authorities, there are around 2,039 women members; the Government side represents a significant share. From my Central Province—especially the difficult Nuwara Eliya District—we elected 18 women of the governing side to local bodies. In Jaffna, where women had rarely engaged in politics, 24 women were elected representing the NPP. In Gampaha, which you represent, there are 66 women members in local bodies. Women now help make decisions at village and national levels; I wish them well and call on them to contribute fully to village and national economic development and women’s empowerment.

¶ 05 We also face barriers: party structures, media behavior, traditional roles and attitudes, and entrenched power groups. Despite this, over the last year, while serving as Prime Minister and as Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, and chairing relevant committees, our women MPs have delivered.

¶ 06 We raised the preschool/early childhood meal allowance from Rs. 60 to Rs. 100; provided Rs. 6,000 for school supplies to beneficiaries and to students in schools with fewer than 300 pupils; extended insurance and allowances to underprivileged children. These are tangible steps within one year, despite a constrained economy—contrary to Opposition criticism.

¶ 07 Politics affects every decision in our lives—education, healthcare, livelihoods, even migration. I will end with Dr. Nuwan Thotawatte’s poem on our agency: though many life decisions are taken by others on our behalf from birth to marriage, society protests only when we exercise our own agency. Do not question women’s independent right to choose in politics or life. Protecting women’s autonomy and dignity is the best message for Women’s Day. Thank you.