Manjula Gajanayake, National Coordinator of the Center for Violence Against Elections (CMEV) says that if anyone says that politics is useless, it is a disgrace and without water a drop of water cannot be obtained from a tap today.
He says that a country is not a civilized country if it does not treat women and children.
Mr. Gajanayake says that it is not logical to say that theft, corruption and fraud will decrease in women entering politics, but that there is a potential to control it to some extent and it does not require much practice.
He recalled that at a time when Sri Lankan women had been denied the right to enter politics for many years, a woman by the name of Nallamma Murugesu had raised her voice in 1919 calling for the suffrage of Sri Lankan women and in 1930 a woman named Agnes Silva had approached the Donmore Commission to demand her suffrage.
He also pointed out that although Article 12 of the Constitution says not to be categorized, we are a group of people who are violating the Constitution in a very civilized manner.
He was speaking at a ceremony held at the Pallepola ancient temple in Pallepola, Matale to mark International Women’s Day under the auspices of the Sri Lanka Parliamentarians ‘Forum and the Matale District Local Government Members’ Forum and with the assistance of NDI.