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SCMP Reporter

SRI LANKA gave the world its first woman prime minister, Sirima Bandaranaike, who came to power on a wave of sympathy after the assassination of her husband S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike.

   And ever since, widowhood has been a powerful weapon for those seeking political success.

   The trend appears to have become firmly established if one were to count the number of widows wading into the fray for next month's hustings.

  The parties believe it a smart campaign strategy to collect sympathy votes by nominating widows of assassinated politicians to run for elections, even though some have yet to prove their mettle.

    It provides the women ample latitude to express their grief publicly on election platforms and rake in precious votes to boot.

  The matriarch is Mrs Bandaranaike, 77, who has served twice as prime minister since her husband's assassination in 1959.

   She has firmly established herself as leader of the opposition Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).

   But a victory by the SLFP in a regional election in March signalled the rise of the newest star on the political scene, Mrs Bandaranaike's daughter, Chandrika Kumaratunge-Bandaranaike, 49.

    Following the example of her mother, after the assassination of her actor/politician husband Vijaya Kumaratunge, she has thrown herself into the whirlpool of politics.

   The daughter of two prime ministers, Mrs Kumaratunge has shown all the attributes of a courageous and capable leader.

   A political science graduate from the Sorbonne in Paris, she is widely credited for the SLFP victory in the Southern provincial council elections in March.

   Political analysts believe she will continue playing a star role for the party.

   Another aspiring political contender is Srimani Athulathmudali, 44.

   Mrs Athulathmudali has shown she is a woman of tremendous grit, dedicated to the ideals of her late husband, Lalith Athulathmudali, who was gunned down while addressing a political meeting.

   The Oxford-educated politician was tipped to be prime minister of the ruling United National Party, but was expelled for bringing an impeachment motion against late president Ranasinghe Premadasa.

  His wife now heads the Democratic United National Front, founded by her late husband, and has joined forces with the Mrs Bandaranaike's People's Alliance in seeking entry to Parliament.

   Mrs Athulathmudali is contesting the parliamentary polls in the Colombo District.

   The most controversial woman seeking nomination for the parliamentary poll is Hema Premadasa, widow of Premadasa.

   Mrs Premadasa, who dramatically made an 11th-hour withdrawal after consenting to run on the ruling United Party (UNP) ticket, nearly threw the party apparatus out of gear.

   Over the past few weeks, she has incensed the party hierarchy with her tough demands and theatrics. Her final desperate attempt to seek nomination 30 minutes before nominations closed last week was turned down.

   But even her fiercest detractors have not dared to write her off just yet.

  Amid continuing conflicting reports, Mrs Premadasa now seems reconciled to playing a neutral role in the present election campaign.

   But as a tailpiece to the drama, there is a strong possibility that Mrs Premadasa could be appointed to Parliament on the UNP national list after the elections - if the party wins.



Widows pin hopes on sympathy vote to ensure election success