• Claims governments are there to protect culture and society

The main Parliamentary Opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) yesterday (21) condemned the National People’s Power’s (NPP) pledge to legalise prostitution under a future administration led by the NPP, charging that such an inappropriate legislature would create cultural disputes and erode society.

Speaking to the media yesterday (21), SJB National Organiser and Opposition Parliamentarian (MP) Tissa Attanayake said that the SJB would not make a move to legalise prostitution if they were to assume power in the future. He stated he was not of the opinion that women resorted to prostitution simply due to financial difficulties, arguing that there could be other reasons.  Attanayake’s remarks came following a question by a journalist as to whether the SJB held similar views to the NPP regarding the particular issue. 

Attanayake opined that such statements (like the one made by an NPP representative) are being made without having proper knowledge about the country’s culture and such policies would create unnecessary chaos within society. He stressed that governments are there to protect the cultural values of the country, and that therefore, no decision that could be harmful to the existence of society should be taken by any party. 

The MP also said that it was sad to see that such statements were being made while some other parties were working to legalise cannabis. He further noted that the SJB did not hold such views and was always working to develop the country in a manner that is favourable to Sri Lankan culture.

Samanmalee Gunasinghe, who is a member of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led NPP’s National Executive Committee and also a former Municipal Councillor, recently said that under an NPP Government, prostitution would be legalised and sex workers would be regulated and protected as done in many other countries. 

Pointing out that women and children had become seriously insecure in society, Gunasinghe noted that the NPP had a programme to dedicate itself to their safety. She further said that due to the lack of protection for sex workers, steps would be taken to provide them with the care and protection they need by legalising the profession of prostitutes under an NPP Government. 

However, NPP Opposition MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya later clarified the statement made by Gunasinghe saying that the NPP was not expecting to legalise prostitution and that it would only amend some laws which inconvenience those who were forced into prostitution due to economic difficulties.