Madam Prime Minister

The appointment of National List MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya as Sri Lanka’s 16th Prime Minister has brought a great sense of satisfaction to movements that strenuously advocate for greater female participation among the island’s institutions of political decision-making. The former Open University academic is only the third woman to attain premiership in the country after Late Sirimavo Bandaranaike and her daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga – the mother and daughter duo who hail from a prominent political family.

Harini’s ascendancy to premiership has special significance as none of her close family members or relatives had been involved in politics. In the South Asian context, all women politicians who had risen into prominence are either related to powerful male politicians or popular celebrities who have attained fame through beauty pageants, cinema/soap operas. Having received her education from one of the reputed private, Anglican girls’ schools in the country and born to an affluent family, she represents a background which is fundamentally different from the core support base of the JVP – the ideological parent of the NPP. The accomplished academic played a pivotal role in assembling a large network of female voters in terms of making the profound political transformation a reality apart from enabling the reasonably new political outfit to connect with social segments who have been historically averse to the JVP. 

The Prime Minister has impressive academic credentials with an M.A. in Applied Anthropology and Development from Macquarie University as well as a PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh. The critical portfolio of Education has been brought under her purview and it is one of the most challenging and stressful ministries to lead. She will be ably assisted by her secretary Thilaka Jayasundara – who is noted for being a highly competent and progressive-minded public official.

Harini’s appointment received a highly enthusiastic response from the Indian media and her period as a student at the University of New Delhi was referred by many journalists across the Palk Straits. The JVP has an anti-Indian background and some political commentators in India had raised concerns about the trajectory of Indo-Lanka relations in the backdrop of the change of guard in Colombo. Given her past association with India, she could play a key role with regard to forging a strong relationship with the Modi-led New Delhi union government.

The new premier is renowned for being a vocal proponent of gender equality, empowerment of women in addition to being a strong ally of the nation’s LGBT community. She has been an outspoken critic of the institutionalised and systemic discrimination of the LGBT individuals and LGBT right activists have publicly expressed their joy about her appointment. Although her Liberal world view and modernist beliefs might not please some culturally conservative groups in the society, her presence within the highest echelons of political power would be a solace for marginalised and oppressed groups whose grievances do not receive an adequate attention from the political class.

Meanwhile, there are many who suspect the ability of unmarried, childless women like Harini to become successful political leaders. Sceptics opine such ladies do not have the required strength, maturity, and wisdom to make prudent decisions. There is a tendency worldwide to view unmarried, childless female politicians with a sense of inferiority. The former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard was often at the receiving end of such bigoted criticism. It was reprehensible to observe a person like Dilith Jayaweera claiming that Harini does not represent the Sri Lankan femininity. Prejudice against single, childless women is unfortunately representative of a regressive-minded society.

The previous legislatures did not feature many women lawmakers worthy to talk of. The conduct of former women MPs if at all brought shame to the womanhood. Let us hope that Sri Lanka’s third female Prime Minister will live up to the high expectations of her admirers and would satisfy the aspirations of all citizens, including women.