by Latheef Farook
Will the burning issues of the Muslim community be addressed under a United National Front for Good Governance, (UNFGG), Government led by United National Party (UNP)? This has become the main concern, especially of the Muslim civil society island wide. This is especially so in the context of the presence of Sri Lankan Muslim Congress (SLMC) and its splinter groups in the UNFGG.
The overriding concern among the community is that the SLMC and its splinter groups, which have entered into agreements with the UNP, will accept ministerial portfolios in the event of a UNFGG victory at the August 17 elections and abandon the community, as they have done in the past, as history as so aptly recorded. It is because of this self-centredness that the Muslims keen to prevent the SLMC and its splinter groups from hijacking the community in the August 17 polls and wielding it for positions and personal benefits.
Leader of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), R. Sampanthan, pithily articulated this sentiment in his interview with Virakesari last week, when he said, “The SLMC failed to forge Tamil – Muslim unity and let down the Muslim community on several occasions, although the Muslims, living scattered all over the island, need to live in harmony with Tamils in the North and East and the Sinhalese in the rest of the country.”
The SLMC and its splinter groups uninterested in the community’s concern appear intent on securing power and positions by hook or crook.
To cite few incidents of their callous irresponsibility towards the community, the SLMC contested the last Provincial Council elections in the East on an anti United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) platform and went on to win many seats. However, within 48 hours of the victory, the party joined the very same UPFA Government it criticized, completely overriding the people’s wish.
Added to this, the SLMC voted for the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which rescinded the term limit for the Executive President, enabling Mahinda Rajapaksa to run for a third term. The SLMC leadership later admitted to the mistake of voting for the 18th Amendment, but by then their credibility had been well tarnished.
Topping all this was the SLMC choosing to remain a constituent member of the UPFA Government which chose to give open patronage to Sinhala extremist elements that unleashed wave of violence against the Muslims, targeting mosques, religious schools, business establishments and cultural life, threatening, in fact, the very existence of the community.
They continued to remain with the UPFA Government even after the well planned and executed attacks on Aluthgama, Beruwala and Dhargha Town that saw several Muslims killed and property worth billions destroyed and looted.
Crossed over
It was in such an atmosphere that the Muslim community voted en bloc for Maithripala Sirisena in the January 8 presidential elections, giving the so called ‘cut-direct’ to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. They did so on their own and not on the advice of the SLMC or any other political party.
In fact, realizing the mood of the community and the country, the SLMC and its splinter groups abandoned the UPFA and crossed over to the Sirisena camp in the eleventh hour, opportunistically grabbing on to ministerial portfolios after the elections.
Muslims across the country were deeply disappointed that the SLMC was rewarded ministerial portfolios while the issues faced by the community were ignored. Even after joining President Maithripala Sirisena’s Government, the party failed to raise any of the issues faced by the community.
However, it is noteworthy that the even though the Tamils supported Sirisena, the TNA did not accept even a single ministerial portfolio. But they raised many of the issues faced by the Tamils and forced the government to address some of them.
The trust deficit is such that claims Parliamentarian Prof. Rajiv Wijesinghe, that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had told him the SLMC leadership asked for money to join the Sirisena camp, appear wholly credible. Failure on the part of the SLMC to respond to such claims doesn’t help retain trust.
Thus the SLMC has become a shameful liability on the community, which cannot afford to continue this sad state of affairs.
This is why Muslims fear the SLMC and its splinter groups, which have entered into an agreement with the UNFGG, would accept ministerial positions and abandon the community, once victory has been secured.
The SLMC has lost its credibility even in its birth place, Kalmunai, where the party is accused of tricking the supporters and pitting them against the other communities. One Kalmunai resident summed up the community sentiments when he said, “People are fed up here.
They do not want confrontational politics. They want to live in harmony with Tamils and Sinhalese. This can happen only if they abandoned communal and racist politics”.
Another even went to the extent of stating that there was no development in Kalmunai; post A. R. M. Mansoor, who was defeated by SLMC almost quarter century ago by means of lies and deception.
He said Mansoor gave jobs to thousands in the government sector, solved the problems of the fishermen and the farmers, built hospitals, schools, roads, promoted agriculture and developed irrigation with the support of the government of the day. The SLMC has caused tremendous damage to the image of the community due to its corrupt and irresponsible behaviour that is far away from Islamic principles, which the party claims is the basis on which it was founded.
Highlighting this sad state of affairs, columnist Gomin Dayasiri in a recent article in an English daily headlined ‘Talk of an enigma! HERE’s another election result’ had this state;
“The SLMC has been functional in varying Cabinets without a trace of loyalty to any that installed them. It has lingered on enjoying benefits only to swivel around and bind with the benefactor’s opponents on the eve of the election seeking more benefits. It reminds one of a local ditty to describe the characteristics of a Moor’s hat.
“Indeed the SLMC, identified as the carrier of the Muslim cause, stands disgraced as being selfishly opportunistic. How can trust and confidence be placed in a community, where its leaders are unprincipled rolling stones shifting sides to gain benefits? Are they helping the cause of the Muslims or their own cause by periodic change of stance?”
Over the years the SLMc’s selfish and short sighted politics has isolated the Muslims, especially those living in predominantly Sinhalese areas, and caused tremendous damage to Muslims who now feel ignored and orphaned.
Unwilling to continue with this state of affairs, the community’s demand to end racist politics and reestablish their harmonious ties with the majority community, is understandable. This is why the community, especially the educated lot and the civil society, is keen that Muslims abandon the SLMC in the August elections and join the national political parties.
Civil society
The seriousness of the situation is such that an aggressive social media campaign has been undertaken by many, urging Muslims not to vote for the SLMC in the August 17 elections.
Below is one such social media statement by Dr. Ruvaiz Haniffa, headlined ‘Do not vote for SLMC candidates coming on UNP nomination lists.
Dear Madam /Sir
The UNP as indicated in the news item below is once again about to commit the same political mistake of outsourcing the UNP Muslim Vote to the SLMC.
It will only be a matter of time before these UNP/SLMC MPs elected on the UNP vote, cross over to whichever party which wins the majority at the August elections. By this, the UNP will lose in terms of numbers in Parliament.
More importantly, by giving nominations to SLMC persons, the UNP is not grooming the next generation of Muslim leaders for itself. This concept has been lost on the UNP leadership for the last 2 decades.
Hence, if the UNP nominates SLMC candidates on the UNP List this August, what choices do we have as UNP Muslims voters?
If the UNP does not believe in its own Muslim candidates should we as voters believe in the UNP as a National Party to deal with our political aspirations? We should be voting only for the party and casting our preferences only to UNP candidates, Muslims or non Muslim.
We must not cast preference votes to SLMC candidates contesting on UNP lists.
Leader of All Ceylon Makkal Congress