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Muslim Ally to Overthrow Sri Lanka Minister
COLOMBO, June 16 (News Agencies) - A key Muslim partner in Sri Lanka's shaky ruling coalition Saturday announced it will break ranks with the government and support opposition moves to oust a cabinet minister.
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) plunged the government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga in deeper crisis by warning that its crucial support cannot be taken for granted.
The SLMC described its relations with the People's Alliance (PA) government as being at a "low ebb" and regretted joining with President Kumaratunga to form a government after controversial elections in October.
SLMC leader Rauf Hakeem, who is also the minister for trade, said his party decided to support an opposition sponsored move to bring a vote of no-trust against a cabinet colleague who is accused of instigating ethnic unrest.
"We have decided to support the resolution of no confidence against (Rural development) minister Mahipala Herath," Hakeem told reporters here ending speculation on how his party would vote.
The SLMC with its 11 seats helped President Kumaratunga's PA to form a government after October elections threw up a hung parliament.
Hakeem said the election results were "seriously flawed" and felt that President Kumaratunga's PA had no mandate to rule the country.
"If there were independent commissions for elections, police, the public service and the judiciary, we won't be having a PA government today," Hakeem said in a scathing attack against Kumaratunga's PA.
He said he had a two and a half hour meeting with President Kumaratunga Friday and wanted to "share his guilt" of being in a government that had no moral authority to rule.
"I tried to share that guilt with her at a meeting yesterday, but she refused to accept it," Hakeem said adding that it may take a very long time for them to iron out their differences.
Hakeem also dropped a bombshell by announcing that his party will resist moves by the Supreme Court to block the Speaker from appointing a panel to investigate the chief justice Sarath Silva.
Hakeem said he will support an opposition-initiated resolution to reject the Supreme Court's ban on the Speaker preventing from going ahead with impeachment proceedings.
However, the SLMC had no problem with the Chief Justice, but opposed judicial interference in the legislature, he said.
He said the ruling party had begun attacking the SLMC to "cover up and deflect the dissension" within the ranks of President Kumaratunga's own party which has several left-wingers and hard-line nationalists in it.
However, the SLMC is also facing a leadership crisis between the widow of the party's founder, M. H. M. Ashraff, and his protege, Hakeem.
President Kumaratunga has been trying to promote Ashraff's widow, Ferial Ashraff, and sideline Hakeem who has been seen as making a host of demands on the government.
President Kumaratunga moved some distance to give in to Hakeem's latest demand for a Muslim administrative council in the east of the country by upgrading a local body in that area to the level of a municipal council.
Hakeem said it was welcome, but insufficient.
He said he could be persuaded by the opposition to support a vote of no-confidence against the government. If that happens, the government is almost certain to crash, and Hakeem said many in the government feared it.
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