| Business |
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Liquor
law discriminatory Dhara Wijayatilake, Secretary to the Ministry of Justice, said that although the provision relating to liquor is clearly discriminatory, it cannot, however, be termed inconsistent. "This regulation was made in the early 1950s at a time where there was no legal recognition of equal rights under the Constitution, so the regulation was not an inconsistency at the time of being passed into law," she explained, adding that this provision was within the scope of power given to the minister concerned under Sec. 32 (2) (iv) of the parent Excise Ordinance. Ms. Wijayatilake said this provision is one of many discriminatory clauses contained in various laws presently in force in the country, some of which are far more serious. "For example under the present Citizenship Act, a child whose mother is a Sri Lankan is refused citizenship if the father is a foreigner. There are also similar discriminatory clauses in the Civil Procedure Code and the Land Ordinance," she said. Asked as to what steps are being taken to right this situation, in the light of equal rights guaranteed to women under the 1978 Constitution, Ms. Wijayatilake noted that the Women's Ministry is studying these clauses and are in the process of acquiring policy approval. They hope to proceed on the basis that these laws have to be amended. Excise officials pointed out that the offence set out under the regulation banning the sale of liquor to women is not restricted to the seller alone as stated in last week's report. "Although it is the seller who will commit the initial offence in selling the excisable article to a female, when the lady who buys the bottle of alcohol steps out of the retail shop on to the road she too can be charged and taken to courts for possession of alcohol at a 'public place'. In fact there is even a specimen plaint for this purpose under the law," an official explained. Women's Rights Activist Sunila Abeysekera said regardless of the law, woman are plainly refused the sale of alcohol in many areas outside the city. "There is an urban-rural divide in this issue. If a middle-class women should request for a bottle of alcohol at a sales outlet there would rarely be a refusal to sell. But when she goes out of Colombo there is a marked reluctance to sell her alcohol. This is more to do with attitudes that reflect social and cultural perceptions" she said. Trading
post for north-south business The initiative is part of a push by the business community to encourage economic links with the former war-torn areas. The FCCISL, which initiated the idea following a recent visit to Jaffna, is in the process of securing stores in Vavuniya to house the trading post. "The government
has indicated some old stores could be made available," said
former FCCISL president Granville Perera, who has been driving the
project. He said the FCCISL would then look for foreign assistance
to help fund the required repairs to the stores. (JB) Planning
education reforms in comfort Politicians, business representatives, teachers, academics, parents and students are among the stakeholders expected to take part in the National Education Conference. The meeting is supported by leading lending agencies such as the International Monetary Fund, which has been pushing for education reforms. Speakers include the Minister for Human Resources, Development and Education, Dr. Karunasena Kodituwak-ku, the director of the University of Colombo's Staff Development Centre, Professor Suki Ekaratne and the IMF's Sri Lanka representative, Dr. Nadeem Ul Haque. The conference,
to be held at the Taj Exotica, Bentota, will take as its theme:
"Efficiency, Effectiveness, Equity and Excellence - A Vision
for Education.'' |
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