Shortly after a motion by the government to lift a ban on women purchasing alcohol, President Maithripala Sirisena announced that the ban will stay in effect. The government had announced that it was repealing the ban, citing the law’s discrimination of women as their reason for doing so. The initial ban was passed in 1955, and it prevents women over 18 from purchasing alcohol or working at bars without a permit. The proposed repeal of the 1955 ban upset leaders within the country’s Buddhist community. They claimed that the repeal would be harmful to Sri Lankan families. While President Sirisena ran an anti-alcohol campaign, he also claimed to be in favor of gender equality. This has gotten him considerable backlash from many Sri Lankans. Many took to twitter to express outrage and call out President Sirisena for his hypocrisy. Despite the backlash, it would appear that the ban will stay in effect for now.
The backlash from both the Buddhist community and bloggers online demonstrate that the issue of allowing women to buy alcohol is still a controversial one in Sri Lanka. President Sirisena’s decision to reinstate the ban despite the motion of the government to end it, also shows that there is a disconnect between the president and the rest of the Sri Lankan government. Twitter was clearly used as a method for disgruntled citizens to not only express their outrage, but hold their president accountable for his perceived hypocrisy. While no mention was made of how leaders in the Buddhist community reached out to President Sirisena, it would appear that twitter has become a tool for voicing concerns over women’s rights in the country. Time will tell if the backlash will cause yet another reversal on the issue. Perhaps criticism over twitter will not be enough to sway President Sirisena’s position.