The statement made by former Minister Rauff Hakeem to an Indian newspaper that the Muslim community, as a whole, will henceforth not vote for any political party at elections, no doubt, will be viewed with consternation by many, particularly those keen on forging national unity through inter-communal harmony. It is also a blow to the reconciliation process now underway since there can be no reconciliation by the exclusion of one particular community from the scheme of things. He also told the newspaper that in future, politically, they (all Muslim parties) would contest as a single entity through a grand alliance.
Would this mean that the Muslim parties would not support a candidate from the two major parties at the upcoming Presidential election? If so, are they going to forward a candidate of their own? No doubt Hakeem's decision will lead to further polarization of the communities based on race and religion. Right now the Tamil community in the North votes as a bloc for the TNA and other Tamil parties. It is the same with the Muslims in the East who vote for the SLMC while in the South they are known to vote for the two main parties. Now, with formation of an alliance of Muslim parties, there is bound to be a breakaway of the Muslim vote from the national polity making the Sinhalese to go it alone at the hustings.
This polarization is bound to reflect in other aspects as well, particularly in community life and trade and business as well. The decision to isolate the community from the political mainstream by the formation of a single Muslim alliance to contest future elections is bound to exacerbate the problem.
This is unfortunate indeed considering the contribution made by Muslim politicians to national life. The Muslims, unlike certain Tamil parties which espoused separatism, always haboured the national feeling. There were Muslims who contested from predominantly Sinhala Buddhist electorates and won handsomely beating their Sinhala Buddhist rivals. Politicians such as M. H. Mohamed, M. A. Bakeer Markar and A. C. S. Hameed readily come to mind. Even presently, there are Parliamentarians from the Muslim community who were elected from Sinhala majority electorates. Now, with the proposed Muslim party alliance, this close-knit cohesion is bound to suffer serious damage.
It is such fears, no doubt, that made the Venerable Mahanayake Theras to plead with the Muslim Ministers to reconsider their decision to relinquish their ministerial portfolios. No such request was made by the chief prelates when Amirthalingam and his TULF resigned en-mass by refusing to take the oath under the Sixth Amendment. This alone shows the Sinhala-Muslim unity which has been nurtured from the times of the Sinhala kings.
True, the hands of the Muslim Ministers were forced by the somewhat unfair accusations made by Opposition politicians in the wake of the Easter Sunday terror attacks. The death fast staged by the Ven. Athureliye Rathana Thera was the last straw, as it were. The mass resignation based on solidarity with the entire Muslim community, no doubt, immediately compartmentalized the Muslims as a whole. Now, a single Muslim alliance will only complete the division.
Be that as it may, the SLMC had all along been accused of using its Parliamentary strength as a leverage to obtain top ministerial posts and other favours. There are also accusations that this bargaining power was used to secure diplomatic posting for relatives, party men and other plum appointments, quite out of proportion to the numerical strength of the party in Parliament. Is Hakeem and co. going to jeopardize this advantage by isolating themselves and their community through the formation of a grand alliance and refusing to support either of the two major political parties at future elections? What benefit could they win for their community by remaining in isolation, since they will require to ally themselves with the ruling party in Parliament for this? Or are they going to remain as a pressure group to espouse the cause of the community?
The SLMC became kingmaker in the 1994 Parliament, enabling Chandrika Kumaratunga to survive. When it broke ranks with her, subsequently, that signaled the end of that Government. There is little doubt that even in the future the SLMC and other Muslim parties could be the deciding factor in the formation of Governments. Is Hakeem and co. going to step down from this ‘king maker’ pedestal by their self inflicted isolation?
Interesting coincidences
It is reported that wedding bells will ring for former first son Namal Rajapaksa, come September. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to receive the happy news during a reception accorded to the Premier during his recent visit here, that was attended by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Namal. Modi, though, was interested for more than one reason. The date (Sept. 17) happens to be his (Modi's) birthday. Coincidentally, September 17 also happens to be the birthday of another head of state, now long departed. He is none other than Junius Richard Jayewardene, Sri Lanka's first Executive President.
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