President pays glowing tribute to women

While contributing to over 60 percent of the national income, engaging in the battlefront to protect the motherland and bringing gold medals to the country, the Sri Lankan women, being a major contributors to the country's economy, have not forgotten their role as housewives, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said at the ceremony held at the Temple Trees yesterday.

Commending the responsibilities shared by the Sri Lankan women in the country's development process, President Rajapaksa said that he was lucky to be the leader of a country with women, who are responsible towards nation-building.

He made these remarks at the launch of 'Siriliya Saviya' program, initiated on the direction of the First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, to mark the International Women's Day. The program would strive to improve welfare facilities among the families of the armed forces.

"We believe that only a woman can understand the plight of another woman and that is why we propose to increase the number of women participation in political, social and economic development fields. More women need to join politics. This is the only way to give a voice for the voiceless", he said.

He said that the national problem should be resolved soon as women and children suffer a lot due to terrorism and hostilities. " We should take the responsibility of looking after the mothers and widows of those who died in the battlefield", President Rajapaksa added.

The 'Siriliya Saviya' was a good example to show that such programs could be used for a worthy cause rather than holding demonstrations to win equal rights for women. " We know that over 50 percent of the country's total population is women. Women in the Middle East, estate and the garment sectors are the main foreign exchange earners of the country", he pointed out.

"We will never forget our brave women who are doing a yeoman service by joining the armed forces and the Police to protect the country's territorial integrity," he said. President Rajapaksa also highlighted that only a mere 10 per cent of the women in the country indulged in political activities and stressed the importance of increasing their participation in the field.