History beckons women’s rights champion as first female mayor

Rosy Senanayake, who pushed for legislation to introduce quotas for female representation in Parliament, would make history this year if elected the first female mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), on the United National Party (UNP) ticket.

“When I was a member of parliament, I introduced a motion asking for a 30 per cent allocation of seats for women. It was defeated but the Prime Minister promised me that he would introduce it in parliament when the UNP came to power. So, now we have a 25 per cent allocation,” Mrs. Senanayake said.

Her manifesto, “Colombo – A Smart, Empowered and Green City” details a 10-year plan on placing the strategic city on the world map as a vibrant commercial capital.

“Eradicating dengue and tackling the garbage issue will be a priority,” Mrs. Senanayake said. “We have identified a place in the Puttalam District to move garbage to.

“I will work with the CMC medical teams to reduce the number of dengue deaths by half in the first year. Our plan is to have no dengue deaths by 2020.”

Drug trafficking needed to be addressed immediately within the municipality. Mrs. Senanayake, a former State Minister for Children’s Affairs, noted that many families have been damaged by drug use, and pledged to work with the Ministry of Law and Order to rid the city of this menace.

Mrs. Senanayake is sure people will vote again for UNP administration of the city, saying: “I am very confident that the people of Colombo will keep faith with us.”

Businesses and the corporate sector could assist with self-employment and vocational training schemes, Mrs Senanayake said.

“We plan to use the canals in the city as an alternate transport system and the private sector can help with that. The libraries will be modernised, and again that will be an opportunity for businesses to partner with us. We are looking at public-private partnerships because that is the best way to transform the city to be vibrant and efficient,” she said.

To tackle unemployment, the manifesto proposes the building of 25 multi-faceted community centres that include career guidance units: at least three NYSCO- styled (National Youth Services Cooperative Society) centres to help youth obtain vocational training and giving aid to those seeking self-employment.

Mrs Senanayake believes her political journey is proof of her capabilities in public office. As a diplomat – Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Malaysia – she played a key role in drafting and implementing bilateral agreements, and later as Minister of Children Affairs she took effective measures to reduce malnutrition among schoolchildren, she said.

“The UNP has recognised my leadership qualities by nominating me as its mayoral candidate. I ask the people of Colombo to do the same,” Rosy Senanayake said.