Carder defies UNP leadership

Indika POLKOTUWA

Kandy District MP A. R. M. Abdul Carder, a longstanding UNP stalwart in the Central Province has decided to ignore orders given by the party high command and act according to his conscience regarding national issues as a mark of protest against the high command decision to field three Muslims candidates from the Kandy District at the recently concluded General Elections according to party insiders.

They said that Abdul Carder requested the party leadership to prevent SLMC leader Rauf Hakeem from contesting from the Kandy district on the UNP ticket as it would split muslim votes among too many candidates.

The UNP nomination board ignored this request and fielded three Muslim candidates, Abdul Carder, Rauf Hakeem and A. M. Hakeem from the Kandy district. Inside sources said that it is to express his resentment over this decision that Abdul carder voted with the Government at the voting on the debate to extend the Emergency recently when the majority UNP Parliamentarians abstained from voting.