Campaign on to discredit Govt - Azwer

BERUWALA: ‘There is a smear campaign by certain frustrated and disgruntled politicians to discredit the Government in power. They use the mobile telephones to instill fear in the minds of Muslim businessmen and others asking them to leave the country, lest they would be targeted by certain persons to extort money from them, said Presidential Advisor A. H. M. Azwer.

He was speaking at the Kalutara District Ahadiyya Federation prize-giving at the Maligahena Muslim Maha Vidyalaya, Beruwela.

He appealed to the Muslim community not to fall a prey to these anti-national and anti-Government forces, who are hell-bent to destabilise a legally elected Government. ‘This is employed by the Zionist forces backed by a main opposition party,’ he said.

‘The President promptly summoned a meeting of all Muslim MPs parliamentarians, the Western Province Governor and senior Presidential advisor at the Temple Trees, when certain incidents of abductions were brought to his notice.

After the deliberation, the President immediately ordered the law enforcement authorities to bring the culprits to book. He also requested the victims to make complaints to the police. Telephone numbers to make such complaints were subsequently published in newspapers.

“President Mahinda Rajapaksa elected by Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and other ethnic groups treats all communities equally and will not discriminate against anybody,” he said.

The Muslim world in particular, hails him as a friend of the Moors. This was very evident when he made official visits to Pakistan, Kuwait, the Maldives and Jordan. The leaders of these countries pledged their assistance to help Sri Lanka sustain its economy and eradicate terrorism, Azwer said.

President Rajapaksa is a friend of the poor and the Moor. He has espoused the cause of the Palestinians for the last 30 years as against Ranil Wickremesinghe who has always viewed the Palestinian struggle with a cock-eyed look.

When a motion was moved in Parliament by the then Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, the then Prime Minister Wickremesinghe refused permission to Minister Imthiaz Bakeer Markar and me to speak on the motion,” he said.

That was how Wickremesinghe meted out justice to the Palestinians. Now, the present President has taken steps to open for the first time a Sri Lankan Consulate in Palestine and this will be a reality within next two months.