Sinhala traitors should be exposed - PM

Buddhika IMBULANA

COLOMBO: If anyone among the Sinhalese did menial service to the LTTE he or she should be automatically labelled a traitor, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake said.

The Prime Minister was addressing the national ceremony to mark International Women’s Day held at the BMICH, Colombo on Thursday.

“When they engage in treacherous acts helping the LTTE for monetary gain, obstructing our struggle to save the country from terrorism, we should all stand up against them as one,” the Prime Minister said.

“We are engaged in a struggle to save the country and women too can render a great service towards this effort. I earnestly call upon women to join the effort to save the nation without leaving that responsibility entirely on the Government and war heroes,” the Prime Minister added.

The Prime Minister said in ancient times there was peace and tranquillity in the country and even a woman fully attired in gold jewellery could walk from Dondra head to Point Pedro alone without any fear.

During that period there was a simple society with an agricultural civilisation centred round the village temple.

He said: “However with the passage of time we have moved away from moral and spiritual values. Society today lacks the resources it had in the past. The village has distanced itself from the temple.

Newspapers and other media mostly highlight crime and harassment. Liquor and drugs had been the main cause for it.

Today mothers in the village were struggling to wean their husbands and sons from liquor. That is why we should carry forward the Government’s programme to eradicate the liquor menace. Time has come for us today to pay more attention to the family.

It is sinful for mothers with infants below five years to seek employment abroad. Regulations alone could not stop this unhealthy trend.” The Prime Minister said Sri Lanka has earned world fame for producing the world’s first woman Prime Minister and the woman Executive President.

History rewarded women coming forward to save the country during various calamities. Women were making a big contribution towards the country’s foreign exchange earning sector, he said.

The Prime Minister said the foreign employment sector should be regularised to prevent various malpractices. Lack of proper training among job aspirants created various problems relating to salaries and their conditions of service.

The Government should therefore ensure that only properly trained persons are sent abroad for employment.

“I invite the Women’s Empowerment Ministry too to assist in this task.”

Child Development and Women’s Welfare Minister Sumedha G. Jayasena said the theme of International Women’s Day national ceremony this year is “stringent punishment for harassment towards women”.

Several new laws have been passed to facilitate this. The 90 per cent literary rate among Sri Lankan women folk is a major victory for the country. Today 33 percent of the labour force comprised women.

“However, women had not received their just place in the country’s decision making process. I hope to introduce programmes to increase women’s representation in Government, district and divisional decision-making bodies.”