By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island

April 24, 2012, 9:49 pm

SLFP Organiser for Batticaloa Arun Tambimuttu yesterday warned an SLMC push for a separate enclave for the Muslim community in the Eastern Province could cause political turmoil, which would quickly engulf the entire country.

“We are heading for a major crisis. The SLMC move can derail national reconciliation efforts,” Tambimuttu told The Island in a brief interview.

Asked whether he would campaign against the SLMC initiative, Tambimuttu said all right thinking people should oppose the creation of exclusive areas for any particular community under any circumstances. He said: “The SLMC is now stepping up its campaign for a separate administrative structure called South-Eastern Provincial Council. The SLMC leadership seems bent on exploiting the current impasse on the national reconciliation process to intensify its own political project.”

The SLMC move would strengthen the TNAƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s agenda, Tambimuttu said. In fact, the TNA and SLMC would cooperate with each other to pursue their agendas, thereby creating a new post-war alliance, which could pose a new challenge, he added.

Tambimuttu recalled how the LTTE had entered into a separate agreement with the SLMC soon after signing a ceasefire agreement with the then UNF government.

The SLMC contested the last parliamentary election on the UNP ticket, though it subsequently switched its allegiance to President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Tambimuttu urged the SLMC not to play into the hands of those still pursuing political strategies inimical to national interest. He alleged that efforts were being made to cause further rifts among communities instead of bringing them together.

The government should act swiftly and decisively to thwart the SLMC project by educating the Tamil speaking people, Tambimuttue said, emphasising that the SLMC had sought a separate administrative unit for Muslims in the Districts of Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee in a merged North-East Province. Now that the Eastern Province had been demerged from the Northern Province, the SLMC shouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have any reason whatsoever to campaign for a separate administrative unit, he said.

Tambimuttu said that devolving police and land powers to Provincial Councils would be a grave mistake. Devolution of police and land powers wouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t be the panacea for problems faced by people living in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, he opined.

SLMC General Secretary, Hassen Ali, MP, told The Island that the Muslims shouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t be deprived of their legitimate right to have their own administrative unit. Ali said that of the 24 administrative districts, eight were predominately Tamil and others dominated by the Sinhalese. “We donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have a single Muslim majority district and now we intend to have an administrative structure of our own.”

The SLMC official insisted that the de-merger of the Eastern Province from the Northern Province in 2006 shouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t be a reason for the party to abandon its project. “The de-merger is irrelevant,” he said.

All three communities should be given an opportunity to enjoy equal rights, the National List MP said, adding a Muslim-run administration was a long felt need. With the return of peace, the Muslims could now step up their campaign for a separate administrative unit.

The SLMC has recently declared that the next Chief Minister of the Eastern Province should b a Muslim. The President appointed a former LTTE leader, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan aka Pilleyan, as the first Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council much to the discontent of Muslim politicians.

SLMC leader Rauf Hakeem wasnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t available for comment.

Tambimuttu asserted that the SLMC demand would create a very unhealthy situation. The SLMC General Secretary said that had there been a separate Muslim administrative unit in the East, the party would never have to call for the appointment of a Muslim as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province. “This particular issue shouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t be a reason for Muslims to fight it out with Tamils. There should be a free and frank discussion on the issue without further delay and reach an agreement for the creation of a Muslim administrative unit. The electorates of Samanthurai, Kalmunai and Pottuvil in the Ampara District can be the nucleus of such a unit encompassing predominately Muslim areas in the Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts.”

MP Ali said that whenever elections were held the Eastern Province, the issue of Chief Minister would come up. This wouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t stop until the Muslims right to a separate unit for Muslims was recognised, he said, emphasising that the South Eastern PC was for the Muslims not for the SLMC.