Saturday, 13 July 2013 00:17
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Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa has emphasised the Government’s policy of giving women a high position in society in accordance with Sri Lanka’s ancient traditions, although some Western groups are now trying to teach women’s rights to people here. It is the SLFP-led progressive governments that gave this matter top priority in the post-independence era when Sri Lanka produced the World’s first female Prime Minister and this country’s first female President.
Minister Rajapaksa said this when he addressed the second session of the one-day Women’s Workshop organised by the Parliamentary Women’s Forum recently.
He further said that the present Government is taking all steps to motivate women in developing positive attitudes and raising their social and economic levels. Today women are in the forefront in all these fields, the Minister added.
However he noted that women’s representation in Sri Lankan politics is less compared to other countries in the region. Therefore he stressed the need for increasing their representation in politics here.
Ministers Sumedha G. Jayasena, Pavithra Wanniarachchi and Tissa Karaliyedda and MPs Sajith Premadasa, Rosie Senanayake, Thalatha Athukorala, Sriyani Wijewickrema and Kamala Ranatunga were among the large crowd of women MPs, Provincial Councillors and Pradeshiya Sabha members who participated in the workshop.
