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| Sunday, 6 November 2005 |
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Politics |  |
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Muslim Alliance for PM by Deepal Warnakulasuriya Sri Lanka Muslim National Alliance (SLMNA) which had decided to support the opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Presidential election, has changed their stand and would be supporting Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse confirming his victory. SLMNA Leader Hafiz Nazeer Ahamad in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer said that the Opposition Leader was not trustworthy and was trying to take the SLMNA for a ride. He said that the SLMNA which is an alliance of seven parties namely Sri Lanka Muslim Kachchi, United Democratic Alliance, United Muslim People's Party, Ashraff Congress, North-East Muslim organisation and Muslim United Liberation Front had only participated at four Ranil's meetings and all the SLMNA allied party leaders decided to support Premier Rajapakse considering his manifesto as well as his strong policies. SLMNA leader Ahamed stressed that throughout the last 57 years Muslims were with the UNP but all the victimisations of Muslims had taken place during the UNP regimes. "The Indo-Lanka accord of J. R. Jayawardene in 1987, chasing away the Muslims from their lands in the North, massacre in Kattankudi Mosque, and a number of incidents took place against Muslims and all were under UNP governance," he said. He pointed out that not a single victimisation of Muslims had taken place in PA or UPFA regimes. He also charged the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) saying they had got nothing for the Muslims and added the SLMC was completely responsible for all the victimisations of Muslims. "SLMC became a puppet of the UNP with 12 members in Parliament," he said. He also added that SLMC was formed on emotional feelings but the SLMNA was formed in structural way to stand for Muslim rights. Nazeer Ahamad said that the Prime Minister's 'Mahinda Chintana' manifesto has ensured Muslim rights and the minority community will have nothing to fear under a Rajapakse led government. "I can assure Mahinda Rajapakse had always stood for Muslim rights locally and internationally including Iraq and Palestine issues," he said. He further added that the UNP as well as the SLMC danced to the tune of the LTTE including the mediator Norway. "SLMNA cannot be bought over by anyone for such low purposes", he said. He also said that a Mahinda led government would also look into uplift Muslim education, living conditions and several other important issues. The SLMNA leader assured that they had arranged 32 pocket meetings in the Eastern Province alone and 14 public meetings outside North-East to campaign for the UPFA presidential candidate. He also said that door to door propaganda campaigns led by university students will also take place. |
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