Rauff Hakeem warns, Voting for third parties, proxies, suicidal for minority rights

Minorities must refrain from casting their votes to third parties or proxies to the main candidates as it is suicidal for minority rights and aspirations, stated leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and Minister Rauff Hakeem in Kinniya, Trincomalee.   

“Minority communities should not take a decision to cast their votes to any third party because of their frustration or distrust on the main parties. Such decision will end up in utter wastage of their valuable votes and also give ample chances for the victory of the opposition party. Therefore, minority communities must think about their own welfare and refrain from taking such ill-informed decisions to vote for third parties,” he emphasised.   

Minister Hakeem expressed these views in Kinniya, in the Trincomalee district this week, seeking support for Sajith Premadasa, presidential candidate for New Democratic Front (NDF).   
Minister Hakeem said that after the Easter Sunday terrorist attack in April this year, Muslims had to encounter all sorts of threats, humiliations and abuses that pushed them into an insecure ghetto. Meanwhile, Muslim leaders had to face various communal minded-pressure and threats from all corners that made them virtually immobile for quite some time.   

Minister Hakeem urged the polity to think whether they would dare to forget all these nightmares faced by them and their families, and decide to vote for an unscrupulous party, which is believed to have created such an unpleasant situation for the entire Muslim community.“We ought to keep in mind that the oncoming presidential election is going to decide the fate of the entire Muslim community’s future, he said.   

“You know very well that a certain group was behind the complaints made against Dr. Shafi in Kurunegala. But, how many of you actually know, that the groups who made the false complaint against Dr. Shafi are aligned with our party’s political opponent. This is just an example of the unscrupulous attitude of the rival party who disguise themselves as people honest and loyal to the country” he said.   

Under these circumstances, the truth remains that there cannot be a better choice than Sajith Premadasa to decide on the fate of the Muslims of this country. That is the reason for our unanimous decision to select him from the United National Party and giving him our fullest support to see that he becomes the next president of this country.   

We ought to keep in mind that the oncoming presidential election is going to decide the fate of the entire Muslim community’s future