HE. PRESIDENT MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA, PLEASE LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF A CONCERNED MUSLIM.
Posted on December 13th, 2009

By Noor Nizam, Sri Lankan Peace Activist, Political Activist and Freelance Journalist ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” Canada , Dec.12th., 2009.

The present presidential elections should have the freethinking participation of all Sri Lankans, be the Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burghers and othersThe President has stated that he wants the minority votes added to the majority votes to win this presidency.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Every community has its strength and weakness. Every community has members within who support the various political ideologies. They also support the different political parties.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ For what do they do all these? To get the legitimate share of their RIGHTS and to contribute the best towards their motherland with civic contentiousness.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka is a Nation of mostly peasants, farmers, workers, teachers and small-time traders. Some communities, due to the British divide and rule, political governance and administration since 1812 to 1956, have benefited educationally and career wise. Since 1956, the majority Sinhalese have seen tremendous changes in their socio-economic development, with much progress in education and professionalism. They are 72% of the population, but penalized by the British and foreign colonization had led them to their plight. The Muslims who comprise 8% of the population have been a sidelined community in the political annals of Sri Lanka , until 1981 and then in 1986 when the SLMC entered the national political arena of Sri Lanka . Since 1946, the elite of the community benefited the best until a change happened in the early 1960 tees with the late Hon. Badiuddin Mahmud becoming the Minister of Education, under the late Hon. Sirimavo R.D.Bandaranaike as the PM.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ History has been repeated since then, where the elite,specially those in Colombo, have benefited the best in all avenues of political influence and sharing the spoils of the elections. The worst affected being the Muslims, specially those of the North Eastern and the Muslim Factor.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In the political drama of the Presidential Elections of January 2010 which will be happening, again it will be the elite that will lobby to have their shots. Those governing the minority parties will show their colours either to HE. Mahinda Rajapaksa or the UNF candidate General (retired) Sarath Fonseks, like the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-peacockƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ spreading the feathers to gain the benefits of mating. But it is the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…- VOTESƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ of the members of the communities that they will be trading for future benefits. This is seem special in the Muslim Community, these days.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ HE. Mahida Rajapaksa should not be carried away by these ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-sweet talkƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ of some of the Muslim leaders gathered around him at this hour. The Muslims really want to VOTE for HE. Mahinda Rajapaksa, but the President should break the unseen fence around him in this campaign and reach out to the 300,000 voters in the North and East directly. You have to take a firm stand on this. You have 45 days to make this happen Excellency President Rajapaksa. The ordinary Muslim voters, they are waiting to assure you that they want to vote for you.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Call out to the Muslim VOTERS and talk to them directly Excellency President Rajapaksa. They need assurances from you, not through your brokers or agents on the resolution to the Muslim Factor and Land issues in the East. If you do not do this, it may cost you 300,000 votes, and your Muslim agents or brokers will not be the looser. It will be the Muslim Community at large and you as the Presidential candidate. You will have won the Presidential election, but without the block vote a major minority community – the Muslim of Sri Lanka .

About the writer.

The writer is a longstanding political and Peace activist who has been a Senior Party Member and district Organizer of the SLFP and later the SLMC in the Trincomalee District for many years, till recently as May 2000.He was a very close confidant of the late Hon. Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike. In 1971, he was awarded a Norwegian Agency for International Development, NORAD-Fellowship offered by the Norwegian Government. This Fellowship was offered through the Ministry of Public Administration of the Government of Sri Lanka. He pursued higher education in Norway from 1971 to 1977. After a successful public and private sector career, while being engaged in national politics of Sri Lanka, he is now domiciled in Canada. At present he is engaged with a leading Canadian University and involved in Political Communication Research. The agenda for Peace in Sri Lanka, the concerns of the Muslim Factor and defending the sovereignty and integrity of Sri Lanka against all anti-Sri Lanka fronts in Canada have been his primary engagements. Being a Tamil speaking minority Muslim, he is also very much concerned of the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. He vehemently supports the candidature of HE. Mahinda Rajapaksa at the forthcoming presidential elections.

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