Irate President takes on SLMC

1 March 2014 03:53 am Views - 17030

In what appears to be a major rift within the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government, President Mahinda Rajapaksa is reported to have asked Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem to decide whether he and his party was remaining in the Government.

A reliable government source told Daily Mirror that this had transpired at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting after several ministers including Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka raised questions about a document given by the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) to UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillai during her visit to Sri Lanka in August.

It was revealed at the cabinet meeting that the 50-page document given to Ms. Pillay highlighted the sporadic attacks on Muslims and Christians in the country and that the government had failed to take any action against the perpetrators.

The report had also contained maps highlighting the places where the attacks had taken place and the areas from which Muslims had been chased away last year.
The President and Ministers had been told at the cabinet meeting that Ms. Pillay had leaked this document to the Tamil Diaspora and that they were visiting Muslim countries having friendly relations with Sri Lanka in an effort to turn them against Sri Lanka and force them to vote against Sri Lanka when the US- sponsored resolution is presented at the UNHRC sessions.

It was also revealed at the Cabinet meeting that the Tamil Diaspora had used this document in its campaign against Sri Lanka in Geneva and that they had also visited all UN missions of UNHRC-member countries to showcase the document.

A visibly angry President Rajapaksa had asked Minister Hakeem about this document given to Pillay.

Several Ministers had also questioned Minister Hakeem about it.

Minister Hakeem had told the President that in as much as the President did not have control over some of the UPFA members he too had no control over some of SLMC members.

He had told the President that it was not him but the SLMC Secretary who had given the document to Ms. Pillay.
It was at this point that President Rajapaksa had asked Minister Hakeem to decide whether he wished to continue as a minister in the UPFA Government.(Sadun A. Jayasekara)