• Women politicians call for mandatory representation to cater to the 56% of SL voter population

 Sri Lanka enters another phase of its political evolution with the upcoming Parliamentary/General Election loaded with over 8,800 contestants. The game comes following a Presidential Election where 38 contestants competed. 

Despite its complexity, the Presidential Election 2024 was held without women candidates, and the less number of women in the competition continues in the upcoming Parliamentary Election as well. Major political parties, armed with a significant voter base, have nominated only a handful of women politicians to compete in the Colombo District and less in other areas of the country.

Opening the competitive space for women in the Sri Lankan political sphere was advocated for many years, with several leading women politicians going front-row lobbying.

Never give up

Among those in the forefront of the advocacy campaign aiming to increase the number of women in politics is senior politician Rosy Senanayake, currently contesting in the Parliamentary Election under the New Democratic Front from the Colombo District. A former diplomat, ex-Parliamentarian and a former Colombo Mayor, Senanayake, said that women representation has not achieved the level it should reach.

“When women form 52% of the Sri Lankan population, the political sphere, be it the Parliament or Local Government institutions, must represent the population adequately. That is a democratic requirement,” Senanayake emphasised.

Pointing out the less number of women candidates even leading political parties have nominated for the upcoming Parliamentary Election, Senanayake said: “I would have preferred to see 20-30% of women being nominated for the contest.”

“We had a successful fight to get more women into Local Government Councils. One can be in the nomination list but getting elected is another issue, because women find campaigning very difficult – I still find it difficult. It requires an enormous amount of money, and sometimes you get opponents within your own party because of the preferential voting system. It is a tough call. Now we have 25% reservation of seats for women at the local government level. For the national level and the provincial level, affirmative action is the key,” Senanayake emphasised.

Commenting on the general opinion, that women do not need quota in political representation, Senanayake explained that it is ‘very tough’ for a woman to contest in this electoral system and get elected.

“Given that 52% of the population and 56% of voters are women, my plea to Sri Lankan women is to vote for a woman – irrespective of political and ideological differences, vote for the woman in your list. I am very happy to see a woman in the Prime Minister seat and wish all the best in her endeavours. When I get elected to the Parliament I will continue, along with the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, to increase women participation, not only in the political arena, but also in the public and private sectors, formal and informal sectors, and even in the labour rights-based parties. Sri Lanka has a high literacy rate and that needs to be represented in the labour force,” she pointed out.

She added that women’s endurance, tolerance and proper sensitivity towards community needs is a proven fact: “In the panchayat system in India, the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi introduced a quota system to increase women participation, where men had to take a step back to allow women to enter. Today, women are successfully representing 50% at the local government level in India,” she highlighted.

Noting the reluctance of political parties in nominating women in the political sphere, she opined that: “If political parties are not taking into account the importance of women representation, we might need to make it mandatory.”

Become women-friendly

Congratulating all the women contesting in the Parliamentary Election, former Eastern Province Governor, Parliamentary Election candidate from the Sarvajana Balaya alliance from the Colombo District, Anuradha Yahampath said: “I wished to see at least 25% women among the contestants.”

“Campaigning is hard for women, and I have my own experience in that,” she said, adding that certain habits among the grassroots level people established by the current political culture has made it very difficult to organise work at the ground level. “I cannot blame the people – it is something that this political culture has created. I blame politicians for creating such situations,” she added.

“Even when I functioned as the Eastern Province Governor working at the grassroots level among the diverse society of the East, it was not this challenging,” added Yahampath.

She emphasised the need for empowering women with political interest with competency and suggested that political parties should initiate such activities because, representing women – the 52% of the country’s population is democratically essential. She pointed out that given the present political culture, a quota for women representation at the national level is much needed.

“An increased number of women in the Parliament can create a change in the political culture. Most of the time, women can bring in a broader sense of understanding to issues discussed in policy-making. Most importantly, the Parliament must be represented with the 52% of women in the Sri Lankan population – that is a must,” Yahampath pointed out.

“There are definitely competent, educated women who are suitable for politics. But, given the current political culture, one cannot guarantee whether they would enter the political fray,” Yahampath pointed out.

Game changers

Contesting from the Colombo District, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne, an academic and a lawyer by profession, enters the Parliamentary Election fray from the National People’s Power (NPP).

“This is the platform that aligned with my progressive leftist political ideology, thus I decided to opt for the NPP to pursue in politics,” said Ariyarathne, explaining reasons that led her to enter the Parliamentary Election.

Apart from this ideological fact, she was encouraged to ‘stick’ to the NPP due to the space and acknowledgement the party extended to women’s active participation in political decision-making. Yet, she said, changing political parties will be an ongoing struggle, and bullying and harassment continue to be a challenge in the political sphere.

“I believe that people have come to a point where they reject the political culture created by the patriarchal, male-dominent political parties,” she added. She pointed out that already there are women in politics, mostly who entered the field with a family-related political background, but less self-made women.

“Privileged men question the ability of women to become decision-makers. They do not question men, whether qualified or not.”

Elaborating on her experiences, Ariyarathne pointed out: “For a majority of men, politics is just another challenge. But for women, politics is very personal – the love and friendship in it is important.”

“We believe that women can create a cultural change in politics,” Ariyarathne emphasised.

Continuing the struggle

Swasthika Arulingam, a long-time advocate for human and labour rights contesting in the Parliamentary Election from the Colombo District under the People’s Struggle Alliance, said that competing under a new political party has added to the challenge in campaigning as a woman.

“As a woman, I see that women in politics – irrespective of your experience and seniority – face harassment online and offline. So far, among the people, I have not faced harassment but there have been quite a number of instances online. But I guess I was one of the lucky ones where I get a lot of women defending me, supporting me in my fight against bullying and harassment, irrespective of politics and ideologies,” she added.

Simply because I have not endured bad experiences, that does not mean that it is the general situation that women face,” she added.

“In the fight against patriarchy, sexism and misogyny, the more we allow that to suppress us, or control our behaviour, the status quo will be rolling. The only way to challenge these is more women to come forward into electoral politics and politics of power. The more women are in the fray more the challenge would be for sexism and misogyny,” she insisted.

She also pointed out that it is important for women to network and support each other to tread the rough terrain.

“I hope that by next time elections come up, I would be one of those women who would be able to support other women to climb the ladder in politics,” Arulingam emphasised.

Natural problem-solvers

When asked how she sees the future of Sri Lankan politics with more women representation, United Democratic Voice contestant from the Kalutara District, Panchamee Hewavissenti, commented with a lot of positivity, stating that since women make up 52% of the population and 56% of the voter base, it is clear that they play a crucial role in shaping the society.

“Sri Lanka needs a new wave of leadership that reflects the true diversity of our population. By increasing women’s representation, we can create a more balanced, equitable, and forward-thinking political landscape that benefits all citizens. This shift will lead to inclusive economic development, stronger social systems.” added Hewavissenti.

Entering the political fray influenced by her politically enthusiastic father, Hewavissenti is of the view that women are ideal leaders as they tend to approach leadership with compassion and a deep sense of responsibility. She emphasised that as women are more likely to prioritise integrity and accountability, their presence in politics would encourage a more transparent governance.

“We are natural problem-solvers, addressing challenges with empathy and a focus on long-term solutions,” she said, pointing out that when women are part of the decision-making process, policies tend to be more inclusive.

Women in the forefront of the Sri Lankan political sphere, are ready for the challenge, all they require is the conducive platform to play their role.