Time to stop objectifying female politicians

The National People’s Power (NPP) has sought to set itself apart from other political alliances from its inception. It’s always been an “us” vs. “them’ for the NPP and its supporters, a powerful message that resonates with many Sri Lankans who are keen to identify with a group that says all the right things and promises a break from traditional politics of eight decades. 

The NPP also champions women’s rights as one of the cornerstones of its policies and a record number of women have been given nominations to contest the upcoming general election. This is indeed a welcome move in a country where 52% of voters are women but remain largely underrepresented in elected bodies. 

Being a woman and a politician is a tough job in Sri Lanka and going by some of the comments that are directed toward Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, it is easy to see how societal prejudices against women remain unchanged. For a country that elected the world’s first woman Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike in1960 and the country’s first female Executive President Chandrika Kumaratunga in 1994, Sri Lanka is still a long way to go before women find a place in public life on par with their male counterparts.

But how much are the male politicians on the campaign travel helping to advance the cause of women including those in the NPP?

Take the case of JVP politburo member and NPP Executive Committee member Lal Kantha who is contesting from the Kandy District. He will likely be a minister in the new cabinet after the election. His campaign in Kandy has put him up against Chamindrani Kiriella, the daughter of former MP Lakshman Kiriella, who is also contesting from the district.

These are Lal Kantha’s views regarding a woman political opponent, made at a public rally recently: “There is something in her (Chamindrani Kiriella’s) photo (the one which has been pasted on billboards as part of her election campaign). I stopped my vehicle to take a look at her. She looks like a “jambu gediya” (rose apple). I am still a young boy (Lal Kantha is 60 years old) and wanted to take a second look so I got my driver to reverse the vehicle to take a better look.” 

Those comments were made by a very senior member of the ruling side and it is certainly not the first time the man has made such sexist comments. It is the kind of comment that many will dismiss offhand as “boys will be boys” but this is the very attitude that makes life difficult for women in the country. Unfortunately such comments get a lot of traction and it’s likely that Kiriella gets referred to as “jambu gediya” more often than by her name.

This is not to say that male politicians from other parties are saints. There have been numerous incidents where women MPs in previous parliaments have raised concerns over the sexist attitude of male MPs and several complaints too have been made but were brushed under the carpet given such matters are uncomfortable for the men.

Film star Malini Fonseka who served one term as a National List MP was among those who complained of the demeaning comments directed at her by a male MP while others including SJB’s former MPs Rohini Wijeratne and Diana Gamage too have faced insults by male colleagues.

The ruling party, which takes pride in being superior to others in politics, should ensure that their leading male contenders mind what they say when referring to women during the campaign trail but it’s unlikely anyone will dare to question Lal Kantha given his seniority in the JVP. Unsurprisingly many NPP supporters on social media, who wait to pounce on others for the slightest slip are happy to turn a blind eye when one of theirs so blatantly objectifies a woman political opponent.

Here lies one of the problems of the “us” vs. “them’ discourse. “We are good, they are bad’ is the underlying message and even when one of us says or does something bad, it is still good for those steeped in the ‘us vs. them’ mentality. Hence the likes of Lal Kantha will continue with their misogynistic ways and this is likely to worsen once he has more powers in his hands. For those in the NPP vanguard leading the fight for women’s rights, the fight is as much within as outside.