The SLMC should take a hike – their demands are high handed

The gumption of the SLMC to say that they will only align themselves with a party that will give the SLMC the right to choose the Chief Ministerial Candidate is tantamount to giving them autonomy over a whole region comprising of equal numbers of Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala people. The current Chief Minister is from the Government aligned TMVP and so it is their belief this time round they should only support a party that gives them the plum job!! What next? A Sinhala person next time round? This is all bull shit.

I am personally against religious or ethnic parties in Sri Lanka, as I do not believe it is in the interest of good relations between communities. They all tend to be divisive. It is best to belong to a party with a platform of a political position and a manifesto. To me the SLMC is only for Muslims and if one is not a Muslim one is not included within this political party. That is a very exclusive exclusion that should not be permitted.

I remember at the previous Eastern Provincial Council how the UPFA Muslim, Hisbullah maintained he would be the Chief Minister and then he did not get the position, which went to Pillayan. All this smacks of division and not inclusion.

The latest news says that the SLMC will go along with the UPFA coalition in the three provincial council elections. That is obviously because the UPFA threatened the SLMC with ouster if they did not toe the line. After all they enjoy Ministerial positions, and can therefore pretend they have some power in the current administration, even though they have sold out their brethren big time in not challenging the lack of accountability for the raids against their community in various places in the island.

Some call this protecting the turf they have gained and not wishing to lose the privileges and not worry about one’s community.

It is apparent from the political games that are being played that even the Muslim community in Sri Lanka is not served by this political party using the name of the religion, but in reality going against its themes and principles. This is food for thought and discussion!!!

In the end the leadership will sell their own to keep themselves in play.