When the National People’s Power (NPP) came to power, it did so on a promise of rupture. A rupture from corruption, from hollow institutions, from politics that spoke loudly and delivered little. Women featured prominently in that promise. More representation. Stronger protections. Independent mechanisms that would finally move women’s rights beyond symbolism.
Today, that promise is giving way to disillusionment.
The fate of the National Commission on Women stands as one of the clearest examples of the gap between rhetoric and reality. Established under the Women’s Empowerment Act of 2024, the Commission was intended to be an independent statutory body, capable of questioning State institutions and advancing women’s rights without fear or favour. Instead, it has been allowed to wither before it could even begin its work.
The resignation of its inaugural Chairperson Dr. Ramani Jayasundere, after barely four months should have been a moment of reckoning. A respected figure does not step down lightly, particularly from a body she helped bring into existence. She resigned because the Commission could not function as required by law. No funding. No independent space. No meaningful engagement from the highest offices of the State.
This is not merely an administrative failure. It is a political one.
SJB MP and Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus Deputy Chairperson Chamindrani Kiriella captured this sentiment bluntly when she described the situation as deeply disappointing. Her remarks reflected a growing sense of disillusionment, not only within Opposition ranks, but among women who believed the Government’s campaign promises. When a Government comes to power pledging strong and independent mechanisms for women, and then fails to fund or operationalise the very institution meant to deliver that promise, disappointment is inevitable.
During the election campaign, the NPP spoke with confidence about women’s empowerment. Its manifesto committed to increasing women’s representation in decision-making and strengthening institutional protections. Public campaigns reinforced the message. The implication was clear. Women’s rights would no longer be an afterthought.
Yet the absence of even a basic budgetary allocation for the National Commission on Women in the 2026 Budget tells a different story. Budgets are political documents. They reveal priorities more honestly than speeches. When a statutory commission is denied funding, its capacity is deliberately constrained. That reality cannot be explained away.
Equally troubling is the manner in which the Commission has been treated since its establishment. Such disregard would be unthinkable for many other commissions. It raises an uncomfortable question. Does this Government view independent commissions as assets, or as inconveniences?
The attempt to house the Commission within the Women’s Affairs Ministry further exposes the problem. Independence is not a technical detail. It is the foundation of credibility. A commission tasked with questioning State failures cannot operate under the authority of a ministry it may need to scrutinise. If a woman’s complaint involves the Ministry itself, how can justice be seen to be done when the watchdog sits within the same structure?
This is not reform. It is dilution.
Concerns about future appointments only deepen the unease. With vacancies to be filled through a parliamentary caucus dominated by the ruling party, fears of political alignment overshadowing independence are not unfounded. Once trust is lost, it is difficult to restore.
What makes this episode particularly damaging is the contrast between promise and performance. This Government rose by criticising the very culture it now appears to be replicating. It condemned previous administrations for creating commissions that existed in name but not in substance. To preside over the slow suffocation of a women’s rights watchdog is to fall into the same trap.
Women’s rights cannot survive on slogans and campaigns alone. They require sustained political will, institutional respect and engagement at the highest level. Disillusionment sets in when those in power fail to match words with action.
If the Government is serious about its commitments, it must act decisively. The National Commission on Women must be funded, housed independently and allowed to function as the law intended. Leadership must be restored, appointments made transparently, and engagement from the Presidential Secretariat must be immediate and visible.
Anything less will confirm what many women now fear. That empowerment was useful during an election, but expendable in governance.