Young Woman – you are so lucky and you don’t even know it!

Sri Lanka will shortly increase the percentage of places reserved for women nominees from political parties, for election to the local bodies of the Pradeshiya Sabhas and Municipal Councils. That is a splendid move and a chance for young people, included in the percentage is youth seeking election under 35 as a separate category which is also established with a specific minimum number of candidates.

You must have read in the papers these past days, what a scramble there was for nominations, especially through the main political parties. There were many disappointed people who did not get nomination.

So young lady you come to me. If you are 21 and you honestly think you can make a difference to the political scene and can wear a thick skin to jeers and criticism, especially from your own party. I will guarantee you nomination! How about that to boost your ego, morale and prospects of election?

I agree getting nomination is the first step, and getting elected is the real test. So what are your chances of being elected?  I am only generalizing here. It is pretty high and you do not have to spend a fortune either. There is a general inbuilt bias towards a young lady asking the public to vote for her. They look at her as being untainted by corruption, and least likely to be corrupt.

Whilst I agree that women participation in political office in Sri Lanka is miserably low. The women in politics are usually those who have come through a family background where the father or husband were local pols and using their goodwill to get elected. However I believe that the time is ripe for women to get into politics from simple backgrounds, but with a clear vision on what they can do to correct the current corrupt practices in all walks of life, and especially in the Sri Lankan govt. set up. It is our duty to highlight this fact and inspire women to seek public or elected office. They will definitely carry with them the goodwill of the electorate and first time candidates will automatically get a kick from the lack of a track record of corruption, which most of the candidates seeking reelection have.

It is time for all young women, even one voting for the first time at 18 to think of getting into elected office. You can even say that there is no one in the country representing the females in your age group and it is high time somebody stood up to being kicked around like a football. Insist on your rights on behalf of the youth of today, especially young women who woefully lack representation. Remember I told you so, as it is a closely guarded secret, they do not want you to know about.