SLMC gets ultimatum

The Elections Commission has issued a deadline on Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) to settle its internal dispute with regard to the post of Party Secretary who would deal with matters concerning elections with the Commission.

Chairman of the Elections Commission Mahinda Deshapriya in a letter to SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem and Secretary A.C.A.M. Mansoor with a copy to the Secretary General M.T. Hassan Ali had stated that unless the party settled this dispute before December 15, the Commission would have to treat the SLMC as a party with internal conflict.

Mr. Deshapriya had pointed out the SLMC, that only the post of secretary would matter for the Commission in respect of a political party and two secretaries or positions of secretary and secretary general would not be accepted.

Reminding the SLMC's communication to the Commission, which claimed that two posts, by the name of Secretary and Secretary General had been created by an amendment to the party constitution on November 7, 2015 and Mr. A.C.A.M. Mansoor has been appointed to the post of Secretary in place of Hassan Ali, who had thus far held the post of Secretary General, the Commission states that Mr. Ali had objected to his name being removed from the list of Secretaries of recognised political parties.

The Chairman of the Commission has pointed out that the SLMC had so far failed to settle its dispute over the post of Secretary and had issued December 15 as the deadline for the party to do so, while informing the party to legally institute only one post out of the disputed two posts, and communicate it to the Commission before the deadline.

He also stated that he would take action not to display any of the names of the two disputed posts in the list of recognised political party secretaries until the SLMC resolved the matter on the date.