|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 22 December 2002 |
 |
|
 |
Politics | Today's Top Story |  |
| News Business Features
|
SLMC rift widens by P. Krishnaswamy The rift within Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) is said to be widening and political observers say the leadership tussle in the party has become more profound now, than the previous weeks. According to informed sources, five of the total 12 MPs represented by SLMC in the parliament continue to reject the leadership of Minister Rauff Hakeem and have stated that more MPs would be joining their faction in the near future. The dissident group led by Minister of Highways A.L.M. Athaullah have levelled 37 charges against Hakeem and maintain that, S. Subairdeen Hadjiyar, was elected as the new leader by the party high command. Hakeem on the other hand has charged that the dissidents were attempting to disrupt the ongoing Government- LTTE peace process and have been influenced by 'outside forces'. He sounded a warning last Wednesday in Ampara that unless the dissidents rejoined the party within a week, he would be forced to take disciplinary action against them in terms of the party constitution. But the dissidents contended that the party belonged to them and Minister Hakeem had no right to set deadlines for them to rejoin the party. The SLMC leadership has been the subject of crisis following a restraining order on Hakeem and the subsequent staying of it by the High Court, Colombo, in the recent past. A Court inquiry has been fixed for February 13. Meanwhile, Athaulllah and the dissidents, including the factional leader, S. Subairdeen, met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe last Wednesday regarding representation for an SLMC delegation at the Government-LTTE peace talks. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
