President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed officials to abolish the Gazette notification which amended a 1955 law prohibiting women from purchasing alcohol or working in an establishment that sells alcohol.
The President, who himself consumes alcohol, made this announcement addressing a meeting in Agalawatte.
“I expressed my view on the recent revision to the regulations on alcohol control to Prime Minister and Finance Minister, and the positive outcomes of my intervention will soon be seen,” he tweeted a short-while ago.
Earlier, Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera had announced that the 62 year old law, which was not always strictly enforced, would be done away with.
Sirisena consuming alcohol with Udayanga Weeratunga| File photo
Samaraweera was praised for this ‘positive initiative towards gender equality’ in social media, BBC and the New York post reported.
ChubbyChecker / January 14, 2018
Moral Mullahs remind me of the coming wave of Evangelical Christian extemism in the USA and the Islamic maniacs of Iran and Saudi Arabia etc. Buddha was not a God and there are no Thou Shall Nots in Buddhist philosophy. It is ludicrous to ban women from buying or drinking when what is called for is moderation in all aspects of life. Reminds me of sexually repressed Southern Baptists in small towns in the USA who banned dancing and drinking in backward times. This is the 21st century. This man has a warped sense of morality. Whites were banned from listening to black rock and roll music and when Elvis copied gyrating moves of black musicians, white christian whackos tried to ban their daughters from dancing. This man would have made a great Southern Baptist preacher type who bangs other married women while thumping the bible against adultery or even some of the ones from now who bang boys while shouting against homosexuality. At least in Mangala Samaraweera we have a common sense liberal.
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Sunil / January 14, 2018
Where are all the Feminists when women’s rights are being violated by the President!?
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Simon De Silva / January 14, 2018
THESE ARE JUST MUD SLINGING campaigns .
There are ones that consumed alcohol in the past but they dont consume them today.
so where is the problem ?
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Native Vedda / January 15, 2018
Simon De Silva
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The problem lies in the approach to mundane life and practice of hypocrisy. Laws should be applied equally to all citizens. Actually men should be banned from buying/drinking alcohol.
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Is Udayanga Weeratunga confident of selling surplus arms, tanks, ships, fighter jets, …………. to this island as he might find an influential person in his drinking partner?
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Leonard / January 16, 2018
Oh Simon
Don’t be upset after all MS is on a mission to lower the sugar level in Milo. Next he will be on a mission to increase the alcohol contents in beer & wine so the women can get drunk faster to keep up with men. Its equal opportunity.
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Ben Hurling / January 14, 2018
Six years will be a too long a term for this backward Gamarala from Polonnaruwa. Should be made to retire after 5 years. Along with fellow fake Buddhist fanatics, Islamic Ulama Jokers & Evangelical Christian hypocrites. Do not forget Puritanical Sirisena also blocks any progress on Gay Rights in Sri Lanka as well. Cheers!
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Native Vedda / January 15, 2018
Ben Hurling
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” Along with fellow fake Buddhist fanatics, Islamic Ulama Jokers & Evangelical Christian hypocrites.”
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Hang on Modi’s goons are marching from Gujarat. Soon they will be here. They have made some inroads into Kerala and trying very hard to break Tamil Nadu resistance to imposition of Hinduttva ideology. Andhra Pradesh usually known to passively resist northern onslaught has woken up to Hinduttva threat to its culture, religion and free thinking.
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Now is the time for you too wake up to Gujarat’s business belt. Hinduttva is another home grown fascist ideology of Keshav Baliram Hedgewar just like Anagarika Homeless Dharmapala’s Sinhala/Buddhism. Already there are signs of Hindutva activities in this island.
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You have a choice if you want to stop the Hinduttva tsunami you got to work with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, …. basically all non – Hindian Southern states. If you don’t, forget secularism, multiculturalism, the ideas of unity in diversity, ………… soon your great grand children will be forced to accept Hindi as the only official language of this island.
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Be-warned the saffron clad thug Gnanasara will be the first person to convert to Sinhala Hinduttva.
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Analyst / January 15, 2018
Native Vedda
Are you drunk or are you over the limit?
Just wondered what the hell are you on about?
Please keep your daughter away from those bottles LoL!!
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Native Vedda / January 15, 2018
Analyst
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Great wisdom.
One cannot keep one out of anything if one chooses a life style even one knows how harmful one’s life style is until one’s life is partially or even completely ruined. The question is are they harming others. Then the state cannot just pass (Ayatolla, Taliban, ISIS, Medieval) laws to apply to section of the society.
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If state is after excise tax then it has to pay a price. Female drinking is nothing new, it won’t stop by banning alcohol sales to female.
So get over it.
Go start a temperance movement or bring in prohibition, a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages.
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I wonder why men are so interested in controlling women’s heart, mind and their private parts.
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emma / January 15, 2018
just to answer the last part of your comment…it’s only the ponnayas who try to control women. Real men aren’t threatened
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Uthungan / January 15, 2018
The warning is timely.
The fascistic Hindutuwa viral ideology has a sympathetic resonance with Sinhala BBS,Islamic Fundamentalists, and the Evangelical nutters.
All of them are soaked in the same opiate of religiosity plus racism.
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Sinhala_Man / January 15, 2018
Dear Ben,
I dislike Religious Puritanism myself.
But I respect yeoman farmers. When writing in English I’d rather you avoided Sinhala words like “gamarala”. When used by yuppies it acquires most unpleasant connotations.
Please always respect the farmers who produce the food we all need.
I’m not gay, but I support the extension of gay rights – and also I’m unhappy at all these police raids on brothels etc. Yes, the typical Puritan loves to persecute and prosecute others who are harming none. We must, ourselves, support women’s right, because if it is
only they agitate, lots of unnecessary problems are caused for the women who lead such campaigns.
Please google the two words that follow, and see what I have said about religious hypocrites in three articles: Thomian Pharisees
By the way, Ben Hurling, I feel that governing a country is a difficult job, and My3 has NOT been a disaster, although he’s disappointed in certain respects. He MUST retire in 2020, not because I can think of somebody better, but because he made a very solemn promise to do so. It was a promise made with serious intent, and it won him many supporters.
It is possible that he will lose the votes of people like me, who expect people to abide by what they state – irrespective of legalities and oath-taking. I don’t like guys who specialise in ambiguities, chicanery and casuistry. To off-set the votes lost thereby (we can safely say NOT transferred to worse people like the Rajapaksas, but to some non-racist Marxist dreamers) My3 may gain the votes brought in by buffoons like S.B. Dissanayake, Keheliya Rambukwela, Mervyn Silva, and Dilan Perera. If that happens, there’s little we can do, but let us hope that History will label him a good man who degenerated while in office.
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Ben Hurling / January 15, 2018
Sinhla_Man,
Your point noted and accepted. I withdraw the word “Gamarala”. No insult meant against those hard-working, rural farmers, who keep us from hunger. I got caught in the heat of the moment. My apologies!
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Sinhala_Man / January 16, 2018
Dear Ben,
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That’s really nice of you!
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Sincere thanks!
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Sarrij / January 15, 2018
C C
Spot on.
The pres is a Fake Buddhist and a
cunning one as well.
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Sinhala_Man / January 15, 2018
Dear ChubbyChecker,
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I agree that My3 does somewhat resemble an American Southern Baptist Preacher. However, among them, there are some who are sincere. and live up to the standards they outline in their preaching. Not all of them “bang other married women” – that some do is mostly certainly granted by me.
Mangala S. is certainly a guy who has done us all a lot of good. His sexual orientation doesn’t matter to me, but I wish he had been taught straight sex long ago! However, not really my business.
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Let me confess that I find even the thought of male same sex activity disgusting; however, to be honest, such feelings did arise in adolescence, which I left behind half a century ago. But these are private thoughts which I may be foolish to utter in public.
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Politics is a public and social matter. What people do in bed is their business, so long as third parties are not affected.
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I wish our President, Mithripala Sirisena, in whom I am well-pleased, success in all his endeavours!
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M. Basnayake / January 14, 2018
Mr Sirisena, the definition of corruption is ‘a form of dishonest or unethical conduct by a person entrusted with a position of authority, often to acquire personal benefit’. Now personal benefit does not necessarily mean financial benefit.
Stop pretending to be a saint. There are quite a few allegations against you yourself. The spectrum deal with Maharaja from which you gained their support? Look at the way Sirasa attacks your opponents (I have no problem with attacking the corrupt) and look at the way they glorify your imbecile supporters in the SLFP (who were all part of the previous government).
A recent article i read today on srilankamirror states that only 5 cases of the 34 investigated by the presidential committee have been referred to the AG’s department.
Then there was the time where you wanted your party to reunite with the Rajapaksa gang because you did not want your party to come 3rd or 4th in the polls.
You clearly wish to run for the presidency again. Why else have you been so silent on the matter while your followers have been trumpeting that you will be the SLFP’s candidate for the next presidential election despite you having promised not to run again.
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Estate Labourer / January 14, 2018
President Sirisena has got his priorities all wrong. There are dozens of outstanding issues that need to be addressed very, very urgently, but he is completely deaf and blind to those. Instead, he is picking on the hapless women and wants to impose his puritanical, but totally hypocritical beliefs on them.
Is he trying to turn Sri Lanka into another “Sh*thole Country”?
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Silva / January 14, 2018
Mr. President stop acting like a joker and go after the Rajapaksas Criminals like you promised at the Elections…
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Kamalawathie Sameer / January 15, 2018
Estate Labourer – Ïs he trying to turn Sri Lanka into another “Sh*thole Country”?” – You are just repeating a statement made by a incumbent President of a country who is mentally unstable!
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Estate Labourer / January 14, 2018
Now he wants to bar women from bars and next he will want to bar women without bras from entering holy places and attending his party meetings.
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Analyst / January 14, 2018
Estate Labourer
What are you talking about ? This is a sh*t hole country already, so there’s no further Sh*t to hold until the President climbs up for the last breath.
This man Crook Udayanga is a wanted man for corruption and murder from the Jarapassa clan.
Why CT digging up the shit man ??
Please CT don’t go down the rope , instead see some sense and look for bright future for us and the country!!
Publishe something to give us a lift.
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Analyst / January 14, 2018
This is not a new storyline. Old as the crook sitting there with President
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Ganesh / January 14, 2018
Of course, this is anti-liberal. But I can sympathize with this President, who is determined to fight alcohol at any cost. Sri Lanka has enough boozers that women are not needed.
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Chamuditha Senanayaka / January 14, 2018
Analysis.
This man crook Gameenee senarath is a wanted man for corruption and looting 15 billion from the bank on Jan 7th 2015 just one day before the elections.
But the bugger was at pasindoos wedding at shangreela along with.luckshman yapa and the SLFP morons.
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Raj / January 14, 2018
Premadasa, Rajapakse, Sirisena, Presidents who lacked the education, vision & integrity, therefore, out of their depth & unsuitable for the high office. Not that SL had any outstanding Presidents & Prime Ministers in recent years but this lot takes the biscuit. They only know how to play to the gallery for survival which they do briliently. I suppose this sort of rhetoric goes well with the gullible masses who are already brain washed with Sinhala-Buddhist sentiment. The hypocrisy & the ‘frog in the well’ mentality is unbelievable.
I wonder if Sirisena is aware that there was an alcohol ‘Prohibition’ law in the 1930’s America which banned the sale of alcohol & paved the way for gangsters like Al Capone to become millionaires overnight by bootlegging moonshine. I am sure such an act would go down well with Sirisena’s vote base & at the same time make his cronies richer with illicit moonshine & black market liquor.
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Real Revolutionist / January 14, 2018
This is an instance of highlighting attitudinal differences of western & Asian world.
Ban/restriction of access to alcohol for women had been a way to respect them, it had never been a violation of their rights.
It’s well known fact in SL that even men don’t approach a liquor bar unless they’re sure that their family members & respected people are not in the vicinity (except westernized society).
So the way the BBC & the New York post interpret this matter reflects their lack of knowledge & disrespect for Asian social values.
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Park / January 14, 2018
Once again Sirisena has proved that he is no supporter of EQUAL RIGHTS FOR WOMEN! He is more interested in playing to the gallery than doing what is correct same in the SLFP Mega Rogues legal action protecting them.
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Real Revolutionist / January 14, 2018
Park
If you cry for equal rights for women you must be able to cry for equal rights for men as well.
If women only are entitled to the title of prostitute why don’t you cry for that right for men?
Alcohol doesn’t have prominent place in Asian; particularly Buddhism & Islam inspired societies though it’s consumed. It’s prescribed bad for both men & women.
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Sinhala_Man / January 17, 2018
Dear Real Revolutionist,
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Men and women are different in their nature, their biological functions, in their wants, and desires.
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However, they and us are equals, and should enjoy equal rights. But please be sensitive, and put your thinking cap on. I’d love to be a male prostitute (serving women, not men!). Unfortunately, no woman is interested!
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I don’t drink at all. As such, I don’t understand why men drink. But if they want to, I won’t interfere with the drinking habits of either men or women.
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It is socially impossible for women to agitate on certain issues. Muslim girls. A few, only a few, get married off much too young to old men. They have no say over the number of children they produce. All Sri Lankans must agitate for reform of MMDA.
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These are issues that we must agitate about. Your views?
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Real Revolutionist / January 17, 2018
Sinhala man
What’s important to see is that whether women are in the grip of men to devoid of their equal rights.
As far as I understand we have some sort of democracy that is suffice for women to demonstrate their need if they want to buy & sell alcohol.
The present situation is quite different to that; there hasn’t been reports to say women are on the verge to demand for access for liquor. Information came so suddenly to grant women to buy/sell liquor banning previous condition.
Some, including me didn’t even have knowledge that there’s a law to prevent women buying alcohol.
Who or what prompted FM to make that decision? Can’t it be alcohol dealers who want to expand market have taken the minister to that task?
Personally I don’t have concern for allowing women to drink but strongly against taking women in a cunning way to make alcoholics.
Muslim women’s difficulties are quite different & their problems are clearly due to male dominance, Muslim men have their women in their grip for almost all matters.
MMDA is inhuman; it must be abolished & a body must be set up to to rescue women who are in the grip of men under religious mask.
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K.Pillai / January 14, 2018
If this article is true, it proves that the Lankan predicament is due to the incestuous home vs home game.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel. We may have hit on a good governance with checks and balances i.e., a coalition of home vs home team.
We are desperate and must try this.
What if the coalition coalesces? Highly unlikely!
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Jim softy / January 14, 2018
Gender Equality – Trump Explained how he did it just before the election. This is definitely Evangelical christian work.
Avamangala is one who doe snot have a family who doe snt about a wife or children. My question why matara voters are this ignorant, selfish and why do they keep this animal ?
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Father with Daughter / January 14, 2018
Why are the Women of SL not protesting on the road against this double standard rule and also the double standard rule re: Muslim Womens’ marriage laws? Even the President of the country has double standard when it comes to matters of Women. Shameful state of affairs.
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Real Revolutionist / January 15, 2018
Father with daughter
There’s democracy in the country. If women consider alcohol is a necessity/must they can agitate for it. But so far they haven’t done it.
Please don’t try to make our women alcohol addicts.
There’s something nice women can do; they can save their hubbies from liquor by telling husbands that if men enjoy it they also want it.
Never in my life I’ve seen a woman with a desire to drink liquor.
To put things in nutshell women aren’t in a grip of men over liquor issue.
But to the best of my knowledge Muslim men have their women in a grip in almost all matters.-
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Father with Daughter / January 16, 2018
Its not only drinking liquor, more than that women working in places where they sell liquor is banned. This is violation of fundamental right.
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Jim softy / January 14, 2018
This is an article written with hatred in heart. FOr CT and that particular editor, it is all politics. FATHER WITH A DAUGHTER – what an idiot.
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Father with Daughter / January 16, 2018
Calling names shows what a stupid guy Jim Softy is. If he has a point he should put it. May be he is one of those Nationalists who thinks Men are superior to Women. He is a person still living in Cave Age. Even during Cave Age it was Women who went to hunt for food.
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Mallaiyuran / January 15, 2018
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/its-time-sanga-mahela-corrects-yahapalanaya/
If there is another use of New King’s Thirukkai Vaal, it should to punish the official from EU Trade Commission who recommended returning the GSP+ for Lankawe. One of the conditions EU demanded was gender equality and abolishing the MMDA. Lankawe was not really much behind to Democratic West in Gender Equality. The Universal Franchise was a stunt for West, though we rarely understood “Universal Franchise”. It, in layman terms, said women have the right and responsibility to manage the country and maintain the democracy. It just few years ago, one after the other, the European countries were introducing it, while they were considered about 300 years ahead of us. Freedom came. Then Lankawe started to slip down the hill. First Challenge to universal francize was faced in the Indian Pakistani Citizenship act. MMDA was imposed on Muslim Tamils Women. 1972 constitution denied any place to ITAK in the new constitution making. Then it removed the 29 S of Soulbury Constitution and made the Tamils second class citizens. Then the 6th Amendment limited Tamils from asking freedom. Though JVP was fighting at the same time, no similar effect laws were passed to deprive low country Sinhalese’s Universal Franchise. When CT published Enrique’s music concert case, it created a lightening in the head of thinkers, if the Sinhala Buddhism is going to turn into Wahhabi Buddhism. Well, underwear is only to wear, not to throw on somebody, but there are something called people’s freedom to act. Beating with Thirukkai Vaal is the most cruel obscene on that than throwing an underwear on somebody. This New development going to be worse than MMDA because I understand that the old law says that women cannot work in places serving alcohol. Sometimes there is question rose that women get affected than men by hard drinks. Sexist laws are not solution for that, but adults knowing their limit is the solution
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ramona therese fernando / January 15, 2018
Sirisena, if there are bars around, there need to be women sprinkled around (even unsavory kinds), to modulate uncouth sectors of male drunkards, and temper them down, so they won’t drink quite so much…..time honored truth!
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Sinhala_Man / January 15, 2018
This is getting ridiculous.
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I don’t drink at all; I don’t think that Sirisena drinks much, despite the photograph. That’s our personal decision. But that is not the point.
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Many people do drink a bit of alcohol occasionally, and there’s nothing wrong with having a drink.
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There should NEVER be prohibition of something as widespread as drinking alcohol. This quite simply is NOT the business of the President of a country. Also, let me affirm, even more strongly, that what a man is allowed to do, a woman also ought to be allowed.
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I didn’t really mind the Julio Iglesias “madu walige” talk. Please see the Kiri Te Kanawa Wikipedia entry. She had refused to perform, in Australia, with a male singer who tolerated the throwing of under-wear on to the stage. That offends, but I will just not go on about, not rant about such things.
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However, this action of My3 is far more serious. It’s going to cost his party one vote (mine!) four weeks from now.
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What nonsense is this! Serious crimes not investigated, but the President of the country intervenes in matters as trivial as this.
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My3, if you can, please address your mind to more serious issues. As for this, please don’t turn Sri lanka in to the laughing-stock of the world.
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nosey parker / January 15, 2018
Sinhala Man
There was no need to extend the operating hours of liquor shops and bars . Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of alcohol abuse in the world , and the cost to the health system is phenomenal . The worst affected is the plantation sector which is decimated by the scourge of alcohol abuse which brings with it rape,incest , violence against women and children – and increased poverty .
Of course none of the above affects our hoity -toity politicians or their servile followers , who are only interested in the additional excise duty to fill the coffers of an otherwise floundering economy.
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Sinhala_Man / January 15, 2018
Dear nosey parker,
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I agree with all that you say. Government gains revenue from 1. liquor, 2. smoking (tobacco) and 3. gambling (which for me includes all the actions of the National Lotteries Board). All three are areas which cause lots of social problems and we’d be better off without any of them. We have to spend such a lot to counter the evils and the health issues caused by them. They all lower the quality of life.
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It is mostly men who indulge in them, and many wives would be very happy to have them at home instead and provide lots of amorous release for tensions and frustrations. Such amorous release can only lead to all round happiness – provided it isn’t allowed to increase birth rates! The WORLD has for too many humans.
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Extending liquor shop hours: I just don’t know, because I don’t touch the stuff. But we must make a distinction between drinking at two quite different levels. There are the tourists and upper-class “social drinkers” at one level; with them it wouldn’t matter what time they purchase. They are rarely to be found in a drunken stupor.
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And then, there are the poor labourer-type, who earn during the day, and spend it all at a tavern. They have no other place in which to consume the cheap (often very harmful brew) which they guzzle until they stagger home to be violent to all folk at home. Education and Rehabilitation are very necessary for them.
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I don’t like any drinking – even the social type, but will always tolerate it. I’ve said enough, but please criticise for me to further clarify what I mean.
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I think that, like us, Sirisena wants less liquor consumed, but he’s made a silly statement; and it is misogynistic. He needn’t make a formal apology. I don’t like humiliating people. However, I will forgive if he quietly forgets this approach to reducing tippling.
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nosey parker / January 15, 2018
Sinhala_Man
We live in a country where there is no safety net for the poor , the weak , and the down-trodden. The rulers and their lackeys on the other hand , are hell bent on making this place a playground for the nouveau riche .
Having said all that , thank you for your response. You always articulate your thoughts so beautifully , and do the Mount Lavinia school proud .
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Sinhala_Man / January 16, 2018
Dear, dear “nosey parker”,
Thanks.
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Yes, you’ve made my day with that compliment. Rarely have I had that sort of compliment paid me, and it gives me great pleasure.
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How I wish I knew who you are to say something nice in return! Apart from appreciating your generosity, I can see your real concern for the down-trodden. We need many more nice people like you!
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Percy / January 15, 2018
Sinhala Man
You don’t think Sirisena drinks much. Whether he drinks little,nothing, or a lot does not matter as long as it does not affect his duties. It is a sacred duty to lead a country. The hope and aspirations of millions of men, wome, and children as well as those yet to be born depends on the actions of the President the leader of the country. The man has put up his hand to be honest,dedicated and hard working, and is not there to fill his pockets.One man who failed this trust beyond belief was Premadasa and karma caught up with him.JR was well intentioned although his mind set was moulded to place trust in those wh already were well resourced. Let’s hope Sirisena will even at this stage rescue the country from the cabal that is hell bent on plundering it. If he does, he deserves to be re elected.
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Sinhala_Man / January 15, 2018
Dear Percy,
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Every word of yours rings true, and I find nothing that I don’t assent to, from first to last.
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Yes, I agree even with last sentence of yours.
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However, please mark this: at a Presidential Election (I’m thinking here, specifically of the one in 2020) one can indicate FIRST PREFERENCE, Second Preference, and third preference. Because of the promise My3 made in 2015 to obtain the votes of millions who wanted the Executive Presidency abolished, My3 will get only my third preference.
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Will either of these Mathematicians who’ve dabbled in politics assure me (if they see this – a bit unlikely): my voting that way will not make the slightest difference when all sorts of obscure Rules of Probability are applied?
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The two Mathematicians alluded to: First: Vickremabahu Karunaratne, one of whose TWO PhDs is in Mathematics. The other is his pupils (but by no means young any more – that is life, we grow old, and all must die) is the Second: Dr Michael Richard RatnaRajan Hoole. A man who was never in politics proper, but had to hide for fifteen years, and therefore never became a Professor of Mathematics.
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We have parliament in which 90 members have not passed their O. Levels; some like G.L. Peiris have two properly owned PhDs, and was a one time Professor, and Dean/Law, and still can be hired by the Rajapaksas to talk rot. If any of us voted for the Rajapaksas, we’d be insulting the bit of education we got.
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Yes, relatively speaking, I have only a little education. Just a First Degree and a Post Graduate qualification. Now, I’ve forgotten what I was driving at. Such absent-mindedness proves that I’m an educated fool. Ah, Yes. Eureka!
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John / January 15, 2018
Yahapalana-Sahajeewana-Sanhidiya donkey government has been disastrous from the start. Anyway excellent move by the president. Women must not consume alcohol at least women who are at child bearing age.
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This is what happens when bastards without a moral compass become politicians. Just like in Europe and America, now be prepared to hear tragic stories of people who had a traumatic childhood due to alcoholic mother, broken families, children going astray, etc.
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Bring back MR and GR!!!!
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shankar / January 15, 2018
will he bar women from the bedroom?Already birth rate is declining and ageing population is taking over just like this ageing man.Youth have no chance at all with so many old crocks holding the power strings.Now his next step of barring women from the bedroom which he has discussed privately will be a disaster for the country.He is banning milo and asbestos and glychphosate.BAN SIRA.
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Sinhala_Man / January 15, 2018
Dear Shankar,
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Sirisena (I still like the dear man!) is trying to keep certain sections of the people happy. I don’t agree with him, but appreciate the fact that he has to walk a tight rope. He’s scared that the JO (apparently the UNP guys regularly refer to the Rajapaksas and their henchmen in this fashion. When I first heard it – with JO being pronounced as one syllable, I thought the past students of the school at Darley Road were meant, and I was puzzled – viz “Joes”).
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Yes, we’ve got to look at the funny side of this. But then the insult to the women is real. Why don’t all the women do “a Lysistrata”. They ought to jump at this opportunity to show how powerful they are within the bedroom.
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Do you know the play by Aristophanes? I suggest that you google the name of the play and read the synopsis in Wikipedia. I find that there is a 90 minute English performance on Youtube. How to find the time to view it?
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Basically, the Greek play is an attempt by the women of Athens to force an end to the seemingly never-ending Peloponnesian War by denying their husbands the marital rites. It’s hilarious. But even to get the message across to Mrs Sirisena , does anybody remember her first name. I’ve seen it, but forgotten.
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The only name that sticks in the mind is that of the pretty elder daughter, Chathurani. But then, it seems a bit unfair bringing My3’s entire family in to this debate.
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We’ve got to look to the future, and My3 is the one guy to whom we can just about get the message across.
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shankar / January 16, 2018
dear sinhala_man
i think he is close to the bhuddhist monk in champika’s party.He is the chap who is making a racket about asbestos,probably hoping that the firms will pay him off to shut up.I forget his name but he was the party leader of champika’s party(i forget that party too).We can’t let bhuddhist monks run this country in the 21st century.Then we will be always in the 20th century.They are always wanting to run the country through their proxies.If sira wants to be a proxy of theirs then he can go home.We need fresh leaders for the 21st century who don’t think of sex acts as vulgar behaviour.They forget how they came into this world.However we must draw the line at certain behaviour so that we don’t end up like thailand which is infected with aids.So we do need people like sira to keep a check and balance too.
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Percy / January 16, 2018
Sinhala man
Why don’t all women do a lysistrata.? Could be the action of the labia majora, silly!!
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John / January 15, 2018
Now, people in the Western countries are becoming teetotal and vegetarians and bars closing down, but in Sri Lanka it’s the opposite.
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Native Vedda / January 15, 2018
Johnny baby.
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Eureka.
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Now you know what Sinhala/Buddhist fascism has done to this island.
Its time you started a temperance movement in order to educate, reeducate, ………… those who addicted to alcohol and stop voting for those MPs who obtain multiple Liquor licenses for themselves or/and for their clients, b***s carriers, cronies, … .
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wannihami / January 15, 2018
Mate NV, in this resplendent island girls (Children) in some communities can be forcibly married off, legally; they can be mutilated, legally, and we are talking about Sinhala Buddhist fascism, what pastoral excreta is this?
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thrishu / January 15, 2018
Well, we can tell for certain where the brains of Yahapalu ministers, their leaders and some of the bloggers here are located. It is between their legs! Shame on you lot.
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Champa / January 15, 2018
Oh, I am glad President revoked both Gazette Notifications. Thank you! Look at what Mangala was up to. He wanted not only to sell liquor to women but also hire them as bar tenders and make them work until late night! Any fool can see what his evil intention is. He is trying to use women to attract men, especially young people to crowd bars and buy liquor so that government revenue could be increased. This man should be expelled from the country after putting a logo on his forehead.
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It is no secret Mangala hates cultural values of Sinhalese. When he was the Foreign Minister he went around the world denigrating Sinhalese. He tried hard to turn younger generation gay by attempting to legalize LGBT. In 2016 there was even a move to legalize prostitution. Now As the Finance Minister he takes every opportunity to destroy the Sinhalese society which is based on family as the basic unit. A few months ago he vilified Maha Sangha too for no reason. President should keep an eye on Mangala.
He might bring TGTE LTTE supporters to Sri Lanka. Immigration has thwarted one such attempt already. Last year Suren Surendran sent a medical team during “dengue season” with the backing of Mangala. God knows whether they stayed back or left. Mangala is a man who should never be trusted.
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Mallaiyuran / January 15, 2018
I did not read the 66 years old act. I did not read how Mangala amended it. But what bothered me was the piece I red said it is affecting women employment opportunities too. Though it is their freedom, at this difficult time of the country, one may not worry too much about that every woman should be able to buy and drink. But the case is, in the North, there was many huts were run by wives when husbands go out for toddy trapping. When Tamils started to migrate, many men and women got employed in restaurants, where some of them served drinks. Especially, some Sinhala boys got employed by Pakistani, Afghani Peep Show Video centers too. Whatever the religions may say, a work is a work; presence of “drink” not really affect it or make it lower class for any sector of the population. It is only a personal preference where one would like to get employed. It is a well known truth of working conditions of the government’s exports, the Middle East Servants Women. If this guy has been wandering on the unknown lands of the Western countries like the Tamil and Sinhala youths, were looking for job, or if had been exported to Middle East once, this guy would not have denied women their job opportunities.
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Good Sense / January 15, 2018
It is becoming clear that all this over-ruling of ministerial decisions by HIM has nothing to do with morals or national concerns. It may appear to the ordinary that this is an exercise of checks and balances but not really so. It is for the sake of vetoing giving a reason. Basically to say that “I am the boss. You better learn to consult me before you announce decisions.” So HE is cracking the whip. In other words the UNP must follow his dictates and keep the present Government or seek the support of all to dissolve Parliament and to call for fresh general elections if it is to keep its head up. Is the ground situation OK for the latter option?
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k.Pillai / January 15, 2018
Boozing is usually associated with uncontrolled excessive consumption of alcohol. MS is not indulging and never found indulging.
CT is very irresponsible using such headlines.
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As to abolishing the gazette notification, well well, looks like the big five using the power of veto at the UN!
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Mallaiyuran / January 15, 2018
Pillai, You are artificially defending, I think.
There is body language spoken in the picture.
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Sinhala_Man / January 15, 2018
Dear K. Pillai,
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The noble Aryan Sinhalese, who follow the noble eight-fold path of Lord Gauthama Buddha, must acknowledge, with gratitude, the fact that the primitive savage Tamils who follow an archaic polytheistic (Islamist opponents of MMDA, please note) “religion” called Hinduism, have produced one intelligent guy in yourself, K. Pillai, who is a credit to the Motherland.
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P.S. I begin to fear that K. Pillai is more intelligent than all of us modayas who eat kevun. But we must not let those kallathoniyas know that. I’m sure that Colombo Telegraph will censor my comment – then all Sinhala_Man made problems will be over!
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Percy / January 15, 2018
Mr Pillai
“Boozing is usually associated with uncontrolled excessive consumption of alcohol” When did you discover that? That’s absolutely brilliant. I too am partial to a wee drop of the Amber nectar that comes from Scotland, but heaven forbid, I did not realise that I was a boozer. Perhaps I should control my excessive consumption of alcohol. I must say Mr Pillai you have shown me the light, you master of the oxymoron. Thank you Sir
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Real Revolutionist / January 15, 2018
Silly attempt to say MS is taking liquor
He may be sipping a soft or water & the photographer under influence.
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Fathima / January 16, 2018
Don’t you trust CT seeing his facial differences in the pic?
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Real Revolutionist / January 17, 2018
Fathima
You’re a fox in tiger dress; don’t you know that very good people get doped even @ the sight of sb taking liquor?
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Rishard / January 16, 2018
I wonder, the guys who boast about their culture, are supporting women to alcohol. Imagine in SL, it is alcohol that makes many mothers bear the full responsibility of running their families. Wives, children, and relatives are suffering and embarrassed because of their alcohol addict husbands, fathers or son. Get the opinion of some of the women why they had to end up as maids for Arabs.
Who knows, it might easily become part of our culture a woman goes to buy her bottle in public in few years time, what happens to her kids? Today in SL, alcohol is abused, men get drunk until he loses his senses to an extent, he needs someone accompany him to his own house, or he does not know where it is. And he does not care about his wife or kids or their needs. What guarantees that women too would not be pushed into this situation in years to come, provided we Lankans know no limits or control ourselves. Remember, bottles are a popular part of happiness and sorrows in SL lives of men.
(I am not trying to be a mulla here, just my opinion as a social one)
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Upali / January 16, 2018
This is sexual discrimination of the highest order. Let us get together and fight to keep the Magalas progressive gazette. Where Sharia countries are loosening restrictions against women we are going back. President should know that the world is going forward. 23 countries have legalized homosexuality latest being Australia. Some countries have legalized Marijuana. Third sex transvestites will become a reality soon. If we don’t keep pace with the world we will be doomed.Will we allow transvestites to buy and sell liquor. The worst is if a lone woman wishes to have a tot she will have to find a willing man to fetch a bottle for her.
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