President Mahinda Rajapakse ... Deserted by key ally

IANS/Colombo

Sri Lanka’s main Muslim party, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), announced yesterday that it has decided to contest a key election in September independently and not with the government.

The SLMC led by Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem will contest the elections in the Northern, North Western and Central provinces in September alone, an SLMC spokesman said.

The SLMC, a key ally of President Mahinda Rajapakse ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) alliance, has been at odds with the government recently over moves to amend a key part of the constitution which mainly deals with
minority issues.

The Muslim party has also not been included in a parliamentary committee appointed to come up with proposals to make changes to the 13th amendment to the constitution.

The SLMC feels the 13th amendment to the constitution should not change and should be implemented in full while several others in the government want parts of it removed, including clauses which allow the provincial administration to have authority over the police in the respective provinces.

A day earlier the main minority Tamil party in Sri Lanka, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), announced that a former Supreme Court judge will be its candidate for the post of chief minister in the North.

Former Supreme Court judge C V Vigneswaran was nominated as the chief ministerial candidate for the Northern Provincial Council elections by the TNA despite some party members preferring another candidate.

The TNA said that Vigneswaran is a much respected public personality and the party appealed to the voters in the Northern Province to wholeheartedly support him and all other candidates who will be nominated for the election.

Meanwhile, a minister yesterday said that pending elections in the former war-torn northern part will not be allowed to be used as an opportunity to divide the country.

Technology, Research and Atomic Energy Minister Champika Ranwaka addressing a gathering of soldier families recalled the sacrifices made by their family members to winning a three decade war in Sri Lanka.

In 2009 government troops defeated the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE) and the former war-torn north is now preparing for its first provincial council election in decades.

However, Ranawaka insisted that the government would not allow political parties that were supportive of the LTTE’s divisive policies to triumph at the upcoming elections.

“The way to honour war heroes is not only by remembering them but also by protecting what they fought for, which is the sovereignty of this country. We pledge that we will not let other organisations destroy this country and bring about what the LTTE tried to do for 30 years. That determination should be converted into a national determination,” he stressed during his speech.

He also called on the masses to support the government’s push for economic development so that the results of the peace can be enjoyed by everyone.

“We are already a middle income country. By 2016 we have targeted to become a country with a per capita income of $4,000. This is a very difficult task. For that we need an economy that produces innovative products and services, which can create niche high-end markets and increase the amount of exports from our country,” he added.