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| Sunday, 13 October 2002 |
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SLMC dissident MPs to give up boycott by P. Krishnaswamy The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) MPs who did not attend parliamentary sittings last week are expected to call off their boycott shortly. This follows an assurance given by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe last Friday to a delegation of Moulavis (Muslim theologists) from the East that the political aspirations of the Muslims of the North and East will be taken into account when setting up the proposed interim administration for the region. The Premier has also assured that the Muslims will be given nothing less than what would be given to the Tamils and the Sinhalese. At the lengthy six-hour politburo meeting held on Friday at the party headquarters, a majority of the 50 members representing the East, urged the dissident MPs to give up their boycott and strengthen the SLMC leadership in the best interests of the Muslim community, top party sources said. SLMC leader, Minister Rauff Hakeem, told the "Sunday Observer" that he was confident that the dissident SLMC parliamentarians would respond to the Prime Minister's assurance on the matter. Shortly before the Premier met the Moulavis at the parliamentary complex, Minister Hakeem had apprised him of the representations made by the dissident MPs. Two of the nine dissident MPs have already given up their boycott, he added. Before the next round of peace talks scheduled to commence at the end of this month, Mr. Hakeem would meet LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and other top-rungers including its theoretician Anton Balasingham, Government leaders and the Norwegian facilitators in Vanni. Talks at these meetings would focus on 'structural mandates already agreed upon at the first round of peace talks', he said. Mr. Hakeem further said: "I have told the dissident MPs that there is no change in the SLMC's stance for a separate unit of devolution. Meanwhile, it is prudent and logical that we should be prepared to examine viable alternatives put forward by the LTTE and the Government provided they satisfy the Muslims' political aspirations." He added that the peace talks already held concerned 'humanitarian and development issues for the restoration of normalcy in the North and East'. "The devolution unit for the Muslims should emerge at the negotiating table. The Government cannot outline a proposal to accommodate the political aspirations of the Muslims in a structural form", he mentioned. Clarification has been sought for the representation of a wider delegation at the next round of talks comprising the Muslim community. It was vital for all Muslim parliamentarians representing the North and East, irrespective of their political differences, to meet and discuss towards an alternative proposal, he said. Consultations should be held among them in every area of concern and on issues involving a wide cross-section of the people, the Minister said. |
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