By

Shamindra Ferdinando

The government yesterday alleged that the SLMC had quit the ruling coalition because President Mahinda Rajapaksa had turned down its demand to carve out a separate Muslim administrative unit in the Digamadulla electoral district.

UPFA General Secretary and Environment and Renewable Energy Minister Susil Premjayantha emphasised that the SLFP-led government would never succumb to such a demand to appease any political party.

Minister Premjayantha was responding to SLMC leader and former justice minister Rauff Hakeem’s declaration earlier in the day that his party quit the coalition for want of good governance and accountability.

The minister recalled that the SLMC had backed UNP candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka at Nov. 2005 and January 2010 polls, respectively. In fact, the SLMC contested the last parliamentary poll in April 2010 on the UNP ticket.Minister Premjayantha revealed that the SLMC had strongly pushed for the setting up of the new district comprising three electoral districts namely Kalmunai, Sammanthurai and Pottuvil.

There couldn’t be any justification for such a demand, the minister said.

Asserting that creation of administrative districts on ethnic lines threatened the very existence of the Sri Lankan state, Minister Premjayantha said that political decisions wouldn’t be taken at the expense of the national interest. The country would have to face the consequences if Maithripala Sirisena’s camp gave into the SLMC’s demand, the minister said, while challenging the opposition presidential candidate to reveal his stance.

The minister compared the SLMC demand with the LTTE’s efforts to cleanse the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Muslim and Sinhala people.

Responding to a query, Minister Premjayantha said that other communities, too, would demand amalgamation of electorates on the same basis as the Muslims.

The UPFA General Secretary predicted that five-party Tamil National Alliance (TNA) would either directly or indirectly pledge its support to the Opposition camp. The minister alleged that the country was facing an unprecedented threat due to local political elements joining foreign conspirators to undermine post-war stability here.

The minister urged the electorate to beware of on-going efforts to plunge the country into crisis in the guise of restoring good governance.

Minister Premjayantha alleged that abolition of the executive presidential system as promised by a section of the Opposition would pave the way for the Eastern and Northern Provincial Councils to merge. In the absence of presidential intervention, the parliament with a simple majority could endorse the merger of two provinces, the minister said.

President Rajapaksa, in his manifesto for January 2015 poll, reiterated his commitment to the unitary status regardless of international pressure meant to subvert the administration, he said.

Premjayantha urged the electorate to rally around the President to prevent division of the country. The people couldn’t afford to allow the Opposition to undermine political and economic stability achieved in May 2009. The minister said that the military paid a very heavy price to eradicate terrorism particularly during eelam war IV.

At the conclusion of the media briefing, Minister Premjayantha said that he couldn’t comprehend the JHU’s response to the SLMC’s demand; though some other key leaders were likely to give in to Hakeem’s demand.

Courtesy:The Island