Political Column

Political Column

Renewed stirrings in Muslim political circles
By Our Political Editor
The importance of being Ashraff does not seem to be diminishing even with his death. Late Minister Ashraff was for the most part responsible for the pro-active role of Muslim politics that is being played by various actors in this country today.
So it was fitting that Ashraff figured in many ways in the new twist in the tail in Sri Lanka's Muslim politics.

A delegation of Muslim politicians, who had at least mended their own differences for a very little while, met the Prime Minister on Thursday and said that a Muslim delegation should be able to participate in future peace talks as a separate entity. Though Mr. Rauff Hakeem led the Muslim delegation, the President of the National Unity Alliance Ms. Ferial Ashraff, Mr M. A. L. M. Hisbullah, Dr .A. L.M. Hafrath and Mr. Noordeen Mashoor also participated at the Temple Trees talks on Friday.
The Prime Minister had much on his plate, but basically he had guaranteed that he will look into the request of this delegation (to have a separate Muslim delegation participating in future talks) when he returns from his official trip to India.

It is not as if the divisions within Muslim political stakeholders are any less now. But, it is just that the immediate issues regarding the leadership of the Muslim Congress are in suspension. Court held with Hakeem as it is now known but this does not mean that the issue is over. The issue is very much in a state of suspension as it was seen last week when the disgruntled Athaullah faction of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress formed what was being called a 'service organisation '' named after Minister Ashraff.

Apparently the game plan among the Athaullah faction is to rally the Muslim votes behind the name of Ashraff with this civic organisation. With this move, this faction seeks to basically win the confidence of the Muslim population, thereby seeking to regain control of the Muslim Congress which is now being legally led by Hakeem. However, there is still a court case to be resolved, and when it is resolved, the disgruntled Athaullah faction seeks to ride the wave of Ashraff sentiment, created by this new organisation that goes directly under the Ashraff style and description.
Like the so called "Bandaranaike policies' this new organisation seeks to follow the Ashraff principles in politics, but it is all seen as cheap popularity exercise by the Haekeem wing, which sees it as a ploy to sell Ashraff's name and win the hearts and minds of the Muslim people.

The Muslim Congress situatin might attract the attention of Ranil Wickremesinghe more, because the opposition and the JVP ally is hinting that very soon there will be a new government -- not via an election -- but because of the numbers in parliament.

This was said by the JVP, after the Alliance was forged between the JVP and the PA, even though the JVP wanted the PA element out of the alliance and prevailed upon the SLFP, the chief constituent party of the PA, to form this alliance on its own.
If it does in fact become a numbers game Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe needs all the numbers that he can get ---- and this is why he has to listen to the Muslim politicians, whether they are wearing Ashraff on their sleeve or not.

But, though the JVP- PA alliance has been trumpeted as a great move forward by these two parties, there has been some more rather comic infighting within the SLFP itself. Last week, Anura Bandaranaike was scheduled to Chair a meeting of district organisers who will participate in a massive demonstration against the government’s mishandling of the economy, polities of privatisation and the further repression of labour rights.

But Aura Bandaranike turned up late for this meeting - - by around 40 minutes -- and he said that ' I am not following in the footsteps of my sister.'' But this was only the beginning of the dramatic happenings within the SLFP Darley Road headquarters.

Mahinda Rajapakse was talking about doing work together with Aura Bandaranaike, and he made a reference to party traitors. Sripathi Sooriyaracchi who was occupying a vantage position at the meeting then said the 'reference must be to me'' and others joined in a heated discussion that followed, among them being MP L .Premechandra. The reference was to the so called conspiracy to assassinate the President, or so Sooriyarachchi alleged. The whole situation was deteriorating into a fist fight when party big wigs including Rajapakse intervened finally and stopped a free for all.

Chief is away - elephants at play
Problems of the UNP may be Herculean, or what do they say, elephantine? But real elephants were the subject of discussion at the Cabinet sessions this week - - when the elephants in the UNF were able to enjoy a respite from being nagged by the President. The President was away in Malaysia attending the Non-aligned Heads of State Conference.

Since there was a spectacular procession of elephants and mahouts in Colombo widely reported recently in the international media, there has been some pressure to restore the ' domesticated elephant" to its rightful place. The complaint of owners has been that there are no elephants for processions peraheras and cultural shows, and that the working elephant is a species fast disappearing.

When it was proposed at the Cabinet press briefing that elephants from the Pinnawela orphanage should be removed to supplant this shortage of domesticated elephants, Minister of Tourism Gamini Lokuge protested that this will be highly detrimental to the orphanage at Pinnawela, which numbers among the best tourist attractions in the country.

Instead it was considered that provisions may be made to domesticate wild elephants where and when necessary. But Minister Ravi Karunanayake was quite happy that the elephants could go wild -- at least figuratively, or in a manner of speaking. He said that the Cabinet meetings of the UNF were going on much smoother due to the absence of the President, and that therefore it is his wish that the President stays that way -- abroad, and away from Cabinet and all those matters of State that she is concerned with." That way all will be well and smoother,'' he said, and the elephants, as they say, could not help but trumpet their assent.

But Ravi Karunanayake was also determined to rein in the Gas offenders, meaning Shell Gas and Laugf Gas that were selling gas at what he called unconscionable prices. He said that the quantum of gas that is being sold by the Petroleum Corporation to Shell can be sold elsewhere, and that this could be then given at a lower price to consumers.

However, this required political intervention because of the fact that there was an agreement that has been signed by the previous Kumaratunge administration that only Laugfs can be sold this excess quantum of gas. This agreement, he said, needs to be rescinded, and the Prime Minister said he will have to take up the matter after he returns and studies a detailed report on the whole matter.

Attacks from the flanks
The new legislation that is being contemplated by the government has caught the attention of a group that has been spearheaded by PA lawyer legislators. They say that the new Mediation Board legislation and the new legislation with regard to organised crime can be made use of to stifle the opposition.
Some of the young Turks of the PA have now been entrusted with the task of ensuring that this type of legislation that is on the cards will not be enacted, as they have certain provisions such as remand provisions, which can be used to arrest and imprison opposition politicians for indefinite periods.
But as if that was not enough flak, the government came in for more, when Minister Moragoda was sent on a fact-finding mission to the North by the Prime Minister.
He, along with certain top brass -- let's leave the who and the wheretofores for another time - - were confronted by Navy men near Kayts island, who said quite bluntly, that they are getting short shrift from the government, which is not providing basic amenities and facilities. Small wonder that there have been a record number of deserters since the peace process began. Not exactly music, it has to be said, to the ears of the 'peace Minister' - - who incidentally, recently suggested that there be conscription introduced to shore up the strength of the forces.

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