Since the conclusion of the general election and formation of the new government, Muslim community in Sri Lanka has been at the receiving end of criticism by various sections with hidden political motives. You have become the main cause for these criticisms due to your filibuster behaviour of trying to hold the government into ransom by making unreasonable demands, and spelling out unwanted deadlines which most of the Muslims vehemently desist similar to the majority community. Your unacceptable chauvinistic disposition has even surpassed the stance of well known anti-national chauvinists. E.A.V.Naganathan's recent article to defend your stand and encourage you amply demonstrates the dangerous path you are heading for.
Muslims in the past had always opposed divisionary trends and stood for unity and majority rule in the country. Eminent Muslim leaders in the past such as Sir Macan Markar, Sir Razik Fareed, T.B.Jayah, Badi-ud-din Mahmoud, A.C.S.Hameed and even late Mr. Ashraf never made unreasonable demands from the then governments and endeavoured to serve the nation as national leaders, and eschewed communalism. It was reported that your late leader Mr. Ashraff realised the folly of being SLMC and tried to be more national minded by forming the NUA. You have reversed this vision and driven your NUA into the fold of an extremist chauvinistic bloc. Also you have acted in a way a responsible Muslim should never act as Muslims are not expected to reap advantage from a weak.
Trying to hold the government into ransom you even violated the agreement you signed on behalf of SLMC and NUA on 31st August with PA General Secretary to extend support to PA Government. I think it is appropriate to remind you the statement made by your late leader Mr. Ashraff on 1st September in reference to this agreement. He said, "The National Unity Alliance (NUA) decided to be a constituent party of the People's Alliance (PA) to strengthen the hands of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to restore peace and to defeat the United National Party (UNP) which is against the Constitutional Reforms. The SLMC and the NUA will extend their "unwavering support" to her endeavour to establish peace."
Another important fact is that majority of Muslims did not vote for SLMC or NUA. Your twin parties did not even contest in many Districts, for instance Matara, Galle, Hambantota, Ratnapura, Moneragala, Nuwara Eliya, Matale etc. Muslims in these Districts and majority of Muslims in other Districts voted either for PA or UNP. As such how can you presume yourself as the leader of the Muslim community and raise unreasonable demands on behalf of the Muslim community. The NUA has even prevented Muslims getting elected to Parliament. Mr. Navavi's failure to get elected from the Puttalam District is an example. It also did a disservice to PA in many electorates, such as Puttalam, Mawanella, Welimada, Mawathagama and in the Colombo District. The NUA secured only 197,983 votes. This is only a fraction of the Muslim community votes, and Minister Fowzie received more than half of the total NUA votes (100,900 votes) from the Colombo District alone.
Addressing a recent function held for accepting dates donated by the U.A.E.Government you have said that unseen hands are at work attempting to destroy the amity that prevail between the Sinhalese Buddhists and the Muslims. There is no need to put the blame on others, as NUA has become the prime cause for these undue humiliations. The Neurotic Unsteady Alliance (my definition) has already lost its grounds in the East and it will go into oblivion soon as it was in the case many such opportunistic political groupings in the past. I wish that a few national minded patriotic MPs in the opposition will crossover and invalidate the undue and illegitimate hold the NUA is trying to exercise.
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