A discernible shift

The statement made by Presidential advisor A.H.M. Azwer that Muslims are veering away from the UNP would no doubt be a cause for reflection by the Grand Old Party.

Addressing a SLFP branch meeting in Dambulla the one time UNP stalwart and Minister said the chief reasons for this was the absence of regard shown by UNP leaders towards Muslim sensitivities.

While there is no 100 per cent accurate way of ascertaining whether the bulk of the Muslims have shifted their allegiance to the SLFP for the reasons given by Azwer, namely the ready receptiveness of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to address the grievances of the Muslims, his championing of the Palestine cause and his charismatic leadership, a perceptive observer can note a gradual shift in the Muslim support base of the UNP during recent years.

It is evident that there is huge erosion of Muslim support for the UNP that is reflected in the recent elections. Poor leadership and the relegation of the Muslims to the periphery have been cited as reasons.

It is true that in the past all minority parties gravitated towards the UNP which also had Muslim leaders who wielded much clout with the Muslim voters.

Names such as M.A. Macan Markar Dr. M.C.M.Kaleel and M.H. Mohammed readily spring to mind. The UNP being a capitalist party ideally fitted with the Muslim entrepreneurial ethos and the party was never short of funds.

The philanthropy of these muslim Politico-businessmen also had an impact on the community which voted en-bloc for the Grand Old Party that commanded a vast reservoir of Muslim votes in the cities.

The trend has been maintained at all General Elections with constituencies with a large Muslim presence invariably won by the greens. The shift in the sands of Muslim support for the party may well be traced to the advent of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress on the national political scene.

The presence of an alternative leader in the form of its charismatic leader M.H.M. Ashraff coupled with the religious factor saw a heavy exodus of the Muslim vote from the UNP.

The PR system too exacerbated the problem for the UNP with the bulk of its muslim vote going to SLMC candidates, even when they contested on the UNP ticket. The Muslims always voted independently for the UNP over the years. However the creation of the SLMC saw a breach in this trend with the SLFP being the ultimate beneficiary.

We pen these comments as a reflection on contours of the present political landscape where shifts of allegiance are almost commonplace. The UNP which prided itself as a friend of the minority parties can no longer make such claims.

On the other hand the SLFP which was branded as a chauvinist party catering only to the majority today has the bulk of the minority support with a heavy Muslim presence.

The President as an astute politician no doubt is going to cultivate this goodwill he currently enjoys with the Muslims. With the SLFP now following market economic principles he will also have the support of the business segment of the Muslims which formed an essential constituency of the UNP.

It would be interesting to see what strategies the UNP will adopt to recapture this most vital segment of its vote base, who have a major voice in the Lankan political landscape.