Communal politics cannot win elections - Azwer

National and international conspiracies and communal politics cannot win elections. This was emphatically demonstrated by the voters at every election after assumption of office of President Mahinda Rajapaksa's regime, said A. H. M. Azwer former Minister of Muslim religious Affairs and Presidential Advisor.

He was commenting on the Southern Provincial Council election results, Azwer said after the re-introduction of democratic process in the Eastern Province, the Government had heaped on itself victory after victory at every other province.

The voters of Uva gave the Government more than a 2/3rd majority followed up with another 2/3rd majority at the Southern Province.

These massive support of the masses has emboldened the President to carry forward its objective of developing every part of the country and to consolidate the peace it has achieved after defeating terrorism, he said.

Azwer said the traditional Muslim UNP pocket Like Silmiyapura, Guruthalawa and other villages in the Badulla district, Bakinigahawela, Medagama, Kotabowa, Alupotha in the Moneragala district voted enmasse the UPFA candidates after they were enlightened through a series of well organised meetings. The Southern Province Muslims too heeded our appeal and rejected communal politics by not electing a single candidate of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, he said.

The SLMC by their latest antics came a cropper by loosing the single member they had in Kalutara, and even in the Uva. Communal politics has no place in the country, and even the late M. H. M. Ashraff called a halt to the SLMC and started the National Unity Alliance taking into its wings Singalese and Tamils and fielding them as candidates at elections.

He said he took this step realising the fact that rabid communalism would lead the future Muslim community to danger in a multi-religious and multi-lingual country like ours, Azwer said.

Ashraff had also vowed that as long as Ranil Wickremesinghe is the driver, he would never get into the UNP vehicle.

How could the present leadership of SLMc compromise with this view by toeing with the UNP? Azwer asked.

He said if communal parties could be beneficial to the Muslims, then it was men of the high calibre of Dr. T. B. Jayah, Sir Razik Fareed, Dr. M. C. M. Kaleel, Alhaj H. S. Ismail and Dr. Badiud-din Mahmud who could have done it better. But, they very wisely and determinedly chose the national path and served the community as had not been done by any other Muslim.

If crying allowed 'nare-thakbir, Allahu Akbar' would bring votes, then the Muslim leaders in the UPFA and their followers could do it better, the SLMC should understand, Azwer said.