Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and key members of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) held a round table discussion with LGBTIQ rights organizations on Monday, 19 September.
The round table was held at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition and was led by the new National Reforms Secretariat of the SJB. Over 30 LGBTIQ activists and rights organizations participated in the discussions.
Sarath Fonseka, Buddhika Pathirana, Ranjith Maduma Bandara, Hirunika Premachandra, and Tissa Attanayake also participated in the discussions to express their support for the LGBTIQ community.
The National Reforms Secretariat has been set up in the Opposition Leader’s Office in order to reach an agreement on the social transformation demanded by the general public to create a modern Sri Lanka.
The Secretariat aims to seek the views of all segments of society to assist the Opposition to formulate solutions to the gravest economic, political, and social crisis Sri Lanka is facing at present.
Matara District MP Buddhika Pathirana is the Chief Secretary of the new Secretariat and former Weligama Chairman Rehan Jayawickreme is the Assistant Secretary.
This is the first time that a major political party and the Opposition have engaged in wide discussions with the LGBTIQ community. The SJB has publicly committed to non-discrimination and equality for the LGBTIQ community and has institutionalized its commitment by setting up an internal LGBTIQ Reforms Committee, headed by Rehan Jayawickreme.
The Reforms Committee is responsible for formulating the SJB’s policy on addressing discrimination and persecution of Sri Lanka’s LGBTIQ community.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa expressed dismay at the continued harassment and violence faced by the LGBTIQ community, particularly at reports of police persecution. He was also briefed on the wider issues faced by the community, including employment, housing, and education.
The Opposition’s round table comes in the wake of a Private Member’s Bill submitted by SLPP MP Premnath Dolawatte to amend sections 365 and 365A of the Penal Code and decriminalize same-sex relations.
President Ranil Wickremasinghe and several political parties have expressed their support for the Bill. (NewsWire)