CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

Never too late to listen to the party’s grassroot level members.

Noor Nizam. Sri Lankan Peace Activist Canada .

In the political playing field of electioneering, elections and voting, it should be the prime concern of the party hierarchy to listen to the party’s grassroot level members.

In the run-up to the provincial council elections of the Eastern Province , there was a strong feeling among the grassroot level party supporters and the influential Muslim Diaspora, the concerned external force of the Sri Lankan Muslim community, that the SLMC should accept the invitation of the UPFA to form the Alliance to contest the Eastern PC elections. Whether partnering with the UNP or UPFA was correct or not is not the context of this article.Whatever may have happened, the decision of the SLMC hierarchy failing to do so ultimately resulted in the Muslims loosing the opportunity of nominating a Muslim as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province .

Nevertheless, arguments may be raised that the elections was rigged in order to make it possible for the TMVP to nominate Mr. “Pillayan’ as the Chief Minister by the UPFA alliance and the UNP/SLMC alliance could not out-beat the thuggery, violence and vote impersonation/ballot box filling by the UPFA/TMVP alliance, due to enormous preplanned pressure that was employed through all avenues by the government to win the elections. Notwithstanding that fact, the judicial review will give the final verdict in time to come.

On the other hand, the Muslim leaders of the East and the SLMC had their own reasons of the government “not listening” to their political requests and the infighting among the Eastern Muslims for selfish reasons resulted to the downfall of a consensus stand for “due consideration” to resolve the burning issues of the Muslims in the Eastern Province . Added to this was the political treachery of the so-called strong man of the SLMC and a former MP for Batticaloa which resulted in the divided camps of the block Muslim votes of the SLMC, the results – 8 Muslims PC members for the UPFA/TMVP alliance and 9 Muslim PC members for the UNP/SLMC alliance. The TRUTH – in “reality” 17 Muslim PC members of the SLMC.

But the simple fact remains that, both HE. Mahinda Rajapaksa and Hon. Basil Rajapaksa cannot deny the truth that they have wholeheartedly acknowledged the fact that the Muslims are a force to recon in the Eastern Province . They have also realized that, that “this force” is represented by the SLMC, be it any of the “so-called” Muslim groups or parties represented by dissident SLMC MP’s, now Ministers/Deputy Ministers in the UPFA government or SLMC break-away groups or Muslim civil society organizations or mosque trustee groups in the East. The main vote bank that has been split and shared by these ‘so-called” selfish politicians and individuals are actually the vote bank of the SLMC that remains intact in the North Eastern and Eastern Provinces since the advent of the SLMC on September 11th., 1981 when the SLMC was established at Kathankudy in the Batticaloa district under the Chairmanship of Marhoom A. L. Ahmed and when Marhoom M H M Ashraff was elected its Founder President. This Party was formed by a small group of Eastern province political leaders. In November 1986 the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress - SLMC was formally inaugurated as a political party at the "badsha" festival held in Colombo with the late Ashraff, as its Leader, a National Muslim Brokerage Party that has grown from a small group of Eastern political activists to what it is today, led under the leadership of the able political lieutenant and “junior” – Hon. Rauf Hakeem and his able party Secretary General – Hassanali.

The Sri Lankan Muslims have been throughout history a passive and peace loving community. Respect of the Rule-of-Law, belief in the democratic institutions and their functions and the judiciary have been their way of life, while national feelings have been at the highest level when the integrity of the nation and the sovereignty of the State has been challenged. As a community with a heritage in trade and commerce during the 18th., and 19th., century, today the Muslims of Sri Lankan have branched into many competitive professions to serve the cause of the Nation fully and with dedication and commitment. The biggest foreign exchange earner to the country are the Muslim women working as housemaids in the Middle East and the expatriate Muslim sons who toil in the middle east, not the garment exports or the tea trade that Sri Lankan can anymore boast of. What we lack to prove these arguments are statistical information and economical research studies that are the instruments of supporting evidence needed professionally in the modern world of commerce, trade and economics. This should be a challenge to the Muslim Peace Secretariat to take a look at if within their mandate.

Whatever false may be written about the Muslims in the East, the Muslims have always condoned violence and will never be influenced to take to arms as a way of struggle to win their legitimate fundamental rights. It is this tradition and culture of PEACE that has given the opportunity to the Muslim brokerage party – the SLMC to thrive even in non-Muslim areas like the Sabaragamuwa, North Central, Central and the Southern Provinces where there are large numbers of Muslims living scattered in harmony with the Sinhalese community.

Contradictory to the JVP – Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (the militant armed group of the Sinhalese, now turned democratic), PFLT - Peoples Front of Liberation Tigers ( the political party of the LTTE) and the TVMP – Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (the political party of the breakaway armed/paramilitary group of the LTTE in the East), the Muslims and the SLMC is pure and clear in it’s political struggle and campaign of abstaining from practicing “arms culture” like the above mentioned Sinhalese and Tamil political representations. Yet, the cry of the Sri Lankan Muslims to be treated equal and to be respected as equal citizens as guaranteed under the constitution, is a cry in the wilderness of democracy and good governance.

But now, this cry from the Muslim citizens/voters is not to call for attention from the would be “dons” of the governments since 1983, or at present to HE. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the incumbent President, but the cry is a call to the hierarchy of the Muslim political forces and the leaders of the Muslim community in Sri Lanka .

Why then is a The SLMC leadership has been under pressure from the party’s grassroot level members to contest the upcoming provincial council election under its ‘tree’ symbol in Anuradhapura and Kegalle without aligning with a major political party as stated to Muslim Guardian by the General Secretary, M.T. Hassan Ali (Muslim Congress to go it a lone, dateline Monday ,30 June 2008( Posted : 05:06:26GMT).

The puzzling statement that follows it saying “the party would contest the election in Polonnaruwa and Ratnapura along with the UNP as usual” confuses the Muslim citizens/voters in the Polonnaruwa and Ratnapura districts.

As a concerned Sri Lankan Muslim hailing from the East and domiciled aboard with a strong and longstanding background of political engagement and the struggle for the cause of the “Muslim Factor”, it is my humble opinion that the SLMC should try it’s best to refrain from aligning with any political block or national Political party to contest any elections or come to any political arrangements to contest elections in the future. This will be the best in the interest of the Sri Lankan Muslim community at large, Insha Allah. Times will change and the political scenarios will see new forces and strategies that will direct and navigate the destiny of Sri Lankan as time passes by, but the legitimacy and representation of the Muslim community in Sri Lankan will hold ground strong. The SLMC will be the final “National Brokerage Representative Entity” of the Sri Lankan Muslim community in the future, Insha Allah, if the would be political powers that may govern Sri Lankan need to consider a balance of power. The “mushroom” Minister groups, the so-called strongman crowds, the breakaway congresses, the Unity alliances, the henchmen who cling to political leaders to gain job assignments after every election for their well beings - all will disappear in time to come and the “TREE” will stand strong to provide the political shade of times to the Sri Lankan Muslim Community.

The flourishing leaves of the TREE will definitely be the party grassroot level members - the Muslim citizens and the Muslim voters.

Therefore Hon. Rauf Hakeem and the SLMC hierarchy should seriously consider even going it alone in the Polonnaruwa and Ratnapura districts. If at the worst, it is better for the SLMC NOT to field any Muslim candidates in alliance with the UNP as planned.

The political dividends that the Muslim community will gain and the benefits that may be seen after the Elections to the SLMC will be enormous, politically Insha Allah.

Let the SLMC not make the mistake of politically flirting with any group as it happened at the Eastern Provincial Council Elections. The SLMC should be independent and strong as it is. It is the political TREE of the Muslims of Sri Lanka. It should not become a political creeper at any cost.

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