Sri Lanka President Restores Ban On Women Buying Alcohol
Colombo: Sri Lanka’s president on Sunday reimposed a four-decade-long ban on women buying liquor, just days after his finance minister had lifted the restriction.
Maithripala Sirisena said he had ordered Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera to revoke his decision last week to overturn the 1979 law prohibiting the sale of any type of alcohol to women.
“From tomorrow (Monday), the minister’s order will be rescinded,” Sirisena’s office said in a statement, which added that the status quo will be restored but offered no explanation.
The reversal comes after a finance ministry official told AFP Samaraweera had revoked the 39-year-old law in an effort to strike sexist bills from the statute books.
“The idea was to restore gender neutrality,” ministry spokesman Ali Hassen said of the decision Wednesday to roll back the ban.
But last week’s decision to relax laws on alcohol provoked a backlash in some quarters of the majority-Buddhist nation of 21 million people.
The National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection had accused the finance minister of encouraging drinking, and had urged Sirisena to intervene and restore the restrictions.
Under further new measures passed by Samaraweera, bars and pubs can remain open longer, and a ban on women working in bars, distilleries and breweries was lifted.
But Sirisena’s office said he was reducing the time period that bars could be open. It was not clear from Sirisena’s statement Sunday if the decision to allow women to work in the alcohol industry had also been reversed.
The ban on women buying liquor was likely originally imposed in 1979 to appease the conservative Buddhist hierarchy at the time, a finance ministry official told AFP.
Liquor vendors in Sri Lanka are also forbidden to sell spirits to police or members of the armed forces in uniform.
Samaraweera has said that strict curbs on Sri Lanka’s licensed liquor manufacturers only encourage a black market for spirits, and deprive the state of much-needed revenue.
Sri Lanka in its November budget unveiled steep tax rises on hard liquor, but greatly reduced tariffs on wine and beer.
(AFP)
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PC election is around the corner. Yaha Palanaya Government is unpopular with middle class and lower middle class. Bringing such a law is unnecessary at this crucial juncture. In a recent rally in Agalawatta HE Sirisena again said he came to know about lifting of the alcohol ban from the media! This is a clear indication that ‘Right hand doesn’t know what is left hand doing’. No coordination and it is like ‘Pissige Pala Malla’ or Canda-haliya.
This Moral Policeman is ruining our lives.
15 years ago, I graduated with two degrees from a down-south University.
No jobs for me. I went to a Western Country and started as a Cleaner in a Pub within two weeks. In 6 months, I was made a Bartender. In twelve months, in addition to being a Bartender, I became a part-time Call Girl.
I did this work for 13 years. Now I am back in my village in Sri Lanka.
I have enough money and investments; I do no have work anymore for the rest of my life.
Brother Mangala respects gender equality and income parity. He gave us an opportunity.
The Cruel Moral Policeman took it away.
Dear Ms. Dilmini Perera, I am not telling it is good or bad fopr women in SL to drink alcohol, buy alcohol, cell alcohol work in night clubs and bars. It is up do women Even without athis law or with this law, some women in SL engaged in these activities. But please tell me Ms. Dilmini Perera, working in Bars/night clubs is the only job available for women in Sri Lanka? Is that the only job you like?
Dear Brother Amarakoon.
Thank you for your sexist comments.
As a woman, it is better to work behind a bar counter and and be a part-time call girl (to satisfy male gender frustrations) for 13 years and earn enough money to live the rest of lifetime.
You guys, please go work for the Govt and screw the taxpayer for car-permits till you are old and soggy and not good for anything.
We, womenfolk, are smart and we know how to live.
Only problem is the Boss, the idiot Moral Policeman occupying a big chair, he’s a dud, my dear, a poor old dud.
Even if I offer a free service, I am sure he cannot perform.
Dear Ms. Dilmini Perera, I do not know what made you rate my comments are SEXIST? I clearly told I do not have any problem in women buying Liqueur and working in bars. I give you a good example last month I was passing through Katunayake Duty free shop. As soon as I entered a sales woman came to me and tried to help me to select liqueur and shown new deals (e.g. if you buy three you will get one free). When I finished selecting what I want to by joined the queue to pay. In front of me there were two women buying for their items most of them were spirits! When I was growing up in a suburb of Colombo some 40 years ago there was a lady called ‘Jane Akka’ selling Kassippu. Most of the gentlemen who worked in Colombo never forgot to have a shot before going home after work. This is the reality. Many Sri Lankan women drink during wedding festivals and parties. Remember the song ‘Sinhala Raja Kaale wage newai dan meee kaaleee…’ That is the reality.
But you openly state you had two degrees from Ruhuna University and you couldn’t find a job and you ended up as a Bar tender and a call girl. That was your chaise. I know many Sri Lankan women did better than that. They studied got qualified. There are other jobs too rather than become a call girl. That was your choice.
You say HE Sirisena can’t perform even if you offer free service. To be fair HE MY3 has two children. They look like him and there is no question about it. But let me ask you another question. The others you highly appreciate (FM & PM), do they have children can they even produce? May be you have an explanation.
Mr Amarakoon . This girl is lucky that she had two degrees from Ruhuna University and you couldn’t find a job and you ended up as a Bar tender and a call girl. That Normally people with degrees from Sri Lanken universities end up cleaning toilets and sweeping roads in foreign countries.
Spot on brother Ranjith. This is a good testimony for the university education system in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is a failed Nation. We failed economically, we failed financially, we failed morally (just take gang r*pe cases in the South & North), we failed in looking after the bio-diversity of SL, we failed in good governance, we failed in sports, what we can do? Nothing isn’t it. But we have to admire this girl because after two degrees from Ruhuna University she excelled as a Call-girl. I am sure we are good at this.
Dear Brothers Amarakoon and Ranjith,
I smell traces of Male Chauvinism in your comments.
The degrees awarded by SL Universities are simply useless. Mostly, the curriculum consist of worthless gibberish which has no relevance to life and professional skills.
With two degrees under my belt and a years volunteer work experience, I attended two job interviews. The first, with a private company, the interviewers were decent guys. They asked pre-prepared questions in a professional manner and had good comms skills. A few days after the interview, they sent me a unsuccessful letter and review of my interview performance. Later, I found out that there were 940 applicants for the job and they interviewed 5. The second interview was with a Govt Corporation. I was interviewed by 3 Directors (looks like they had nothing else to do) and they were so testosterone agitated, they did not know what they were talking about. At the end when being escorted outside the room, one Director openly invited me to weekend out at an exotic location!
That’s the time I realised that the 2 degrees I had were worthless sheets of paper. In SL, to get a job, you have to know ‘someone’ in power. Most in power are drug dealers, komis agents and other varieties of stupid idiots. No decent man or woman would like to associate with them.
My dear Brothers, who creates the demand for Call Girl services? It is the male population to satisfy their own inadequacies which they are unable to fess up to and seek avenues for rehabilitation. 99.9% of Call Girl Clients are married men with family. In the Western world, most guys are decent and they recognise Call Girl as a profession and treat them with compassion and understanding. In SL, they treat Call Girls as the scum of the earth.
The worst menfolk are those who have the ‘holier than thou’ attitude (eg: our Leader) dictating terms to all others specially women and girls on how they should live. They are local Ayatollah Khomeini’s.
Women arriving from overseas buy alcohol in the Duty Free to satisfy the evil desires of lecherous male relatives and friends who are waiting outside with hanging tongues.
You are right bro Mr Amarakoon . Sri Lanka is a failed state and will never recover, which ever party comes to power. No wonder every body wants to immigrate. Very sad.
Thank You Amarakoon and Rajith,
Thank you for openly admitting Sri Lanka is a failed stated having been governed by Sinhala Buddhist Leadership in the 70 years since 1948.
The governors of our land from various political parties have all been Sinhala Buddhists for 70 years.
Ranjith and Amarakoon, can you now realise why the people in the North and East sought separation?
Mr. Thuleepan So’sundaram, you are more than welcome and thank you so much for your compliments. We all live in Sri Lanka and we will face the current problem together as a nation. We can change governments through a ballot. LTTE tried to change it through ‘bullets’. You guys are blessed because whenever you wish you ask for a separate state! You are blessed because Sinhala folks can’t ask for a separate state. That said, you also have Tamil-Nadu. WE do not have that!
Dilmini don’t be proud to be a call girl. It is disgusting. Of corce you can make money doing these low level jobs. Buy it is not worth it. You are not a roll model for our young girls. Cramming a book and passing a exams, like stupid Tamils, want take you anywhere. You got have a skill and experience. Now that you are back in your village do something you can be proud of.
When British left SL they left with lots of money. They didn’t make cars or rockets . They concentrate on agriculture. Now that you are back in your village start doing some thing like that. Invent some thing new. Then I call you a clever girl. Tata, Ford, Honda, Maliban, Right brothers, Singer, man who made Taj Mahal, our ancient kings never seen a school or don’t have any certificates. I call them clever.
Ranjith, Thuleephan and Amarakoon are intelligent bloggers.
The hopelessness which prevails in the Tamil community now appears to be invading the Sinhala community.
I do not have any hope of change through the ballot as the political system is dominated by a bunch of idiots with thuggish cohorts in tow.
Brother Ranjith,
I don’t claim to be proud of having been a Call Girl.
Ordinary people use their body parts such as hands, legs and brain to earn a living.
As a Call Girl, I used an additional body part to earn a living. Anything wrong with that, Bro Ranjith?
In my 13 years as a Bartender and Call Girl, I accumulated enough wealth to live for the rest of my life. My wealth is invested in solid financial accounts overseas where even if I earn 1/2% return, I will be able to live in Sri Lanka, happily.
I do not need luxury houses; I do not need luxury cars (or any car for that matter); I do not need luxury meals; I do not need luxury clothes.
My mother left behind a mud hut in the village which does not have water or electricity; that is my castle, my palace where I will live eating rice, parippu and pol sambol and grow my own vegetables.
This is the life which I dreamed of when I was young; I worked hard to achieve that dream.
I will not bring my wealth to SL only to be stolen by the likes of Nalaka G and S*****pala and others who are experts in manipulating the Stock Exchange.
I will help all those who live in our village and provide advice on survival against the Bast**ds who have political power.
I will read, write and be an inspiration to the community.
Sister Dilmini. The money you earned is worth no money. Yes it is wrong to use your body to earn money. It is disgusting sis. Men handled you for lust. Where is love and affection? You should settle down with someone who treat you with respect and love. Soon you will realize money is not everything. I respect you for your honesty.
Anyway all I don’t want to our Sinhalese girls to be like Thailand girls or Sri lanka to be like Thailand,
Sorry if I hurt your feelings. Be a good girl now and have a peaceful now.