By S.Subairdeen –Secretary General-All Ceylon Makkal Congress
A major shift in Sri Lankan Muslim political landscape is evident in the aftermath of inroads made by All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) in the recent Local Government Elections. The pragmatic and dynamic leadership given by ACMC Leader Rishad Bathiudeen MP has created history in the Muslim community voting patterns. The brisk increase from a total of 44 Local Government members to 166 members elected is the success story of ACMC leader Rishad Bathiudeen.
In Mannar District, the birthplace of ACMC leader, it won 34 seats with 23000 votes -a marvellous achievement in comparison to the 16 seats obtained at the last elections at 6000 votes. The striking feature in this result is that the most of the Tamil voters have turned toward the leadership of ACMC sidelining the TULF.
Another breakthrough is in Mullaitivu district where the ACMC won 12 seats compared to 3 seats in the last Local Government election โ an area consisting more than 90% of Tamil voters-demonstrating even the Tamil people are turning towards ACMC. At Kilinochchi Pradeshiya Sabha ACMC obtained two seats, we made history by winning a seat at the Jaffna MC under the UNP symbol โElephantโ after nearly 50 years. We are humble enough to say that this is a historical achievement and the UNP is now obliged to ACMC. In Batticaloa district our remarkable achievement is obtaining 14 seats which is 100% success when compared to the last election where we won only 4 seats. Analyzing the results of the Puttalam district the ACMC and UNP coalition won 8 seats where the ACMC candidates contested under the UNP Elephant symbol, and received a total of 15000 votes.
The fascinating phenomenon at the Ampara district is the formation of a coalition of ACMC and United Peace Front known as United People Front, contesting under the Peacock symbol. In Ampara district with the United Peace Frontโs Peacock, we have emerged as a deciding factor at Kalmunai MC, Sammanthurai PS, Pottuvil PS, Irakkamam PC, Ninthavur PS, Addalaichenai PS and Karaitheevu PS scoring a total of 40,762 votes qualifying for 31 seats. This is a clear increase in comparison to the last Parliamentary General Elections results where we received 33000 votes. Indeed, it is a forward march of ACMC in to Sammanthurai PS attracting 12,911 votes, securing 8 seats while retaining a commanding position in that council. It is observed that Kalmunai which is supposed to be the domain and the fortress of SLMC, the percentage of the votes for the SLMC has been slashed down to 29% from 49% which was their percentage in 2011. At the initial stage we had only one member at the Kalmunai MC which has been amazingly elevated to 5 members at present. At the Kalmunai MC the UPF under the Peacock symbol collected a total of 7,573 votes while grabbing 5 seats in the council. At the Addalaichenai PS the ACMC with UPF collected 4384 votes securing 3 seats. Delving into Ninthavur PS the Peacock has gained 7,260 votes -a strong position by winning 6 seats in that council. We have won 4 seats in Pottuvil PS receiving a total of 4288 votes. Even at Irakkamam PS we were able to win 3 seats scoring 2313 votes.ย The SLMC lost its grip in the councils of Pottuvil, Irakkamam and Addalaichenai due to ACMC entry. The Kandy district is supposed to be the domain of SLMC but ACMC won 8 seats with 11,150 votes contesting under Peacock symbol for the first time.
In Kandy district the ACMC was able to win five Pradeshiya Sabhas out of 8 Pradeshiya Sabhas it contested. It is pertinent to stress here that during the last Parliamentary General Election the SLMC got only 9000 votes from the entire of Kandy district.ย A striking and conspicuous feature is that ACMC was able to grab 8 seats within a short period of 3 years while the SLMC was only able to obtain 10 seats โthat too, after toiling for a period of over 30 years. The amusing scene in Kandy, where the SLMC leader comes from, was that the SLMC shrewdly applied the SHANAKKIYAS tactics in full swing by contesting at different council under various symbols such as the Ladder, Dual Leaves, Elephant, Tree and so forth in all 23 Local Government Councils with the intention of defeating ACMC. ย The Kurunegala district is a new entry for ACMC and we won 5 seats in spite of the last moment treachery and the cutthroat tactics adopted by the UNP; yet we were able to secure a total of 6,800 votes. We were able to win one seat at the majority Sinhalese dominated Kurunegala Municipal Council too, thanks to the support of these Sinhalese voters.ย At Gampaha district, we contested only at Negambo MC where we obtained one seat with a total of 2055 votes, while there is one SLMC member in the council.ย It was ACMC first entry in the Kalutara district and we are proud to say that we contested only at two local bodies namely Kalutara UC and Beruwala Pradeshiya Sabha where we were able to retain each of them successfully. In Trincomalee district, we have contested in 10 local bodies and won 18 seats scoring 22,839 votes. ย The interesting and the pivotal phenomena of the result of this election at many local bodies is that the ACMC has emerged as the deciding factor in forming the council, especially in Kandy, Kalutara, Kurunrgala, Gampaha and Ampara where we have contested for the first time under the Peacock symbol. A comparative analysis of the performance of the ACMC at the last LG election demonstrates that, the ACMC has within a short period of time, made a vast impact with a positive effect on the political attitudes and thinking of the Muslim community. As a result the ACMC was awarded a total of more than 185000 votes from the 15 Districts where it contested.
The sudden surge and the elevation of ACMC in the political arena was not an outcome of a sweet dream but a Herculean task undertaken with painful sweat, perseverance and hard work of ACMC supporters ably led by Rishad Bathiudeen MP whose journey of dedication and sacrifices through a thorny political path has strengthened hands of Sri Lankan voters.
Leader of All Ceylon Makkal Congress