'Samagi Jana Balawegaya’ alliance led by Sajith to pose a tough challenge to Govt: Hakeem

Leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Leader and former MP Rauff Hakeem Samagi Jana Balawegaya’ alliance led by Sajith Premadasa will pose a tough challenge to the ruling party. 

“We will continue to support the former Presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa in the forthcoming Parliamentary elections. This alliance is bound to pose a formidable challenge for the ruling government”, Mr Hakeem told  the media in Chennai on Monday. He was the Guest of Honour at an event organized to commemorate DMK Leader M K Stalin’s birthday.

Indian Union Muslim League Leader Prof K M Cader Mohideen, DMK’s Treasurer, East, Mr Azard, Minority Provincial Joint-Secretary, Ibrahim Gani, Media Official from Trichy M K Shahul Hameed, welcomed him at the Chennai airport.

On being asked about the alleged ‘ban’ to sing the National Anthem in Tamil, Mr Hakeem hastened to add that it was not an official ‘ban’ on the Tamil national anthem as being misinterpreted, but a change of practice under the new government. “We sang the national anthem in both Sinhala and Tamil traditionally, but the current government discourages that” he said. He added that this comes in the wake of the set back to the overall reconciliation efforts rolled out in the country by the former government.

Responding to the questions on UN’s concern over the alleged war crimes and related human rights violations getting dismissed uninvestigated, Mr Hakeem commented that the government’s decision to pull out of UN resolution, co-sponsored earlier by the former government is regretted. The current government’s stance in the immediate aftermath of the war too was that there ought not to be any investigations on these lines. They continue to carry out this stance once again. However, there are indications that the controversy related to these issues will get discussed in the international arena.

As for the situation with the Muslims in the country, Mr Hakeem described the situation to be returning to normalcy with the easing of the past months of tension. Nevertheless, some politicians, he said continue to indulge in hate speech deepening the divisions among the different communities in the country. He said he earnestly hopes for a transition for inter-community harmony to prevail in the country.