The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress: The Logic of Politics
by Dr. A.R.M. Imtiyaz
The process of the modernization brings both progress and violence in deeply divided societies. It may trigger more of blood then bread before it weakens the tendency of instability to gain development. Sri Lanka already witness many blood from the Tamils and the Sinhalese. Muslims, who constitute less than 8% of the country’s population, have lost their peace and security due to the Tamil-Sinhala ethnic war, and now actively seeking justice for their grievances. They often beautifully claim they are peace-loving and law-abiding citizens of Sri Lanka, and thus they embrace democracy to seek justice stability, security, and peace.
[Nookkuraansolai welfare camp in Kandalkuda, Puttlam district, Picture by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai]
Sri Lanka Muslims regardless of their geographical location supported candidates (including those of Muslims) who win the tickets from the mainstream political parties. They did not encounter any pressure to challenge the mainstream parties such as the United National Party (UNP) or the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Interestingly enough, these parties outbid each other (mainly on the anti-Tamil programs) to win the Sinhalese votes. However, deepening ethnic conflict and the lack of trust in the traditional Muslim leadership pushed the North and east Muslims to seek their own regional-oriented ethnic party. They found Mr. Ashraff led Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) would help win justice and security. This article focuses on the origin and development of the SLMC to gain some basic understanding about the Muslim politics.
[M.H.M. Ashraff, founder of SLMC]
The establishment of the SLMC in the middle of the 1980s was a significant phenomenon in the development of Muslim politics. The party promised security and rights for the Muslims, particularly the North-East Muslims and adopted electoral democracy to channel the demands. Late Mr. Ashraff and his eastern colleagues were the major engineers of the party. Mr. Ashraff, the former member of the federal Party led by Mr. S.J.V. Selvanayakam, was pretty dexterous in understanding the mood of economically poor North Eastern Muslims and employed ethno-religious slogans to lock the Muslim votes as the Sinhalese and Tamil parties do with their respective constituencies. The SLMC clearly stressed the point that “it was a party pledged to follow the Quran and the Sunnah.” For Muslims, these two sources are the key guidance, and they would prepare to do anything including hatred toward non-Muslims, if they were convinced with the arrangements pointed in Quran and Sunnah. Mr. Ashraff conscientiously understood this reality, and successfully used Islamic sources to outbid his UNP and SLFP opponents. Also, he and his party employed the same ethno-religious strategy against the Tamils, particularly the LTTE, the major ethno-political movement fighting to seek an independent state in the north and eastern of Sri Lanka.
The SLMC had mosques as its base, particularly in the ethnically mix but politically volatile East. The leaders of the party began their emotional political speeches and election campaigns by proclaiming Islam’s basic teachings and Quranic verses such as “Laelaha Illallah Muhammadur Rasulallah” (Allah is the One and Mohammed is his messenger. Needless to say, such emotional religious appeals attracted the economically deprived and politically marginalized North-East Muslims.
It mainly identified the Tamil polity as the primary enemy of the Muslims and attempted to cohabit with the Sinhalese polity, a kind of tactic successfully employed by its South centered predecessors. The SLMC’s growth and tactics had goaded the Tamil Tigers. Thus, to contain the activities of the SLMC, the Tamil Tigers outlawed the SLMC and listed Mr. Ashraff in its hit list.
The Tamil Tigers’ approach annoyed the SLMC. Mr. Ashraff’s following statement well proved his resentment against the Tamil Tigers:
“If the LTTE is killing us, if the LTTE is leaving us out of our homes, simply because we happen to be Muslims, simply because we say “La ilaha illallahu, Mammmdur-Rasoolullah” because of our belief in Allah and Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him)….if that is the only reason, it is the commandment of the Holy Quran that we should declare Jihad against them and kill every LTTEer. We shall now intend to slaughter every LTTEer including Mr. Prabhakaran. In a personal note, I will be the happiest if I can die in battle at the time of slitting the neck of this bloody Prabhakaran (emphasises are not in the original).
With this religio-ethnic emotional baggage, the SLMC had contested several elections since 1988. With the political capital the SLMC earned from the Muslim masses, it primarily employed a strategy of political accommodation, a kind of strategy Colombo-centered Muslim elites adopted to win the Sinhala political class. Ashraff effectively negotiated, and won key portfolios from the Sinhala ruling parties for the SLMC. He and his party colleagues filled key ministerial posts such as the Ministry of Ports and Shipping, and Eastern Development as well as other significant positions in government institutions and diplomatic appointments.
Mr.Rauf Hakeem, key charismatic leader of the SLMC, filled the leadership gap when Mr. Ashraff life was concluded with tragic air accident on September 16, 2000. Mr. Hakeem who hails from the central Sri Lanka decided to follow in the footsteps of late Mr. Ashraff with some notable flexibility. He met the LTTE boss, Mr. Pirabkaran on the 13th of April, 2002 and signed landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU promised some reconciliation between the Tamils and the Muslims. But critiques did not suggest any radical improvements in the region. Muslims did not have reasons to lose the confidence in the MoU because the LTTE as promised did not take any practical measures to give back the lands they captured from the Muslims of the East nor did it take practical measures to eliminate the fears of the Muslims towards the LTTE. On the other hand, Muslim politicians or the SLMC found difficulties to abandon their pro-Sinhala polices, and thus contributed to the growth of Tamil suspicion towards the Muslims.
Essentially, the death of Mr. Ashraff deeply disturbed the unity of the SLMC. Several factions emerged within the party’s ranks. Many believed that Muslim political representatives had lost the common program to win security and rights for Muslims: they failed to win any legitimate say in the Ceasefire Agreement of 2002 as well as Post-Tsunami Operation Management Structure (PTOMS) of 2005 concerning tsunami and peace talks. The Muslim political elite’ inability to make the right choices and policies to win Muslim interests, largely frustrated the Eastern Muslims who had mounted their trust in the moderate democratic Muslim leadership. The section of the Muslim youths from the East believes that the major purpose of the SLMC is just to formulate policies to win public offices for themselves. There is a tendency in the East among the Muslim youths to seek non-democratic alternatives to channel their desires. Such a tendency can be attributed to the theory, which reads the roots of illiberal movements at a point, when liberal forces radically fail their constituencies. It is important to mention that breakdown of the Tamil moderate legitimacy among the Tamil masses couple with the Sinhala oppression against the Tamils comfortably opened the way for the Tamil radicalism and violence against the state and its institutions. The same could likely occur in the Muslim polity, if democratic voices of the Muslims just focus on winning perks, position and promotions for their family and members as their Southern Muslim counterparts successfully do since independence.
The key political strategy of the SLMC and other minor (Muslim-oriented) regional parties did not reflect major shift. Both traditional and North-East political leadership believe that politics of accommodation, strictly speaking, accommodation with the Sinhala political class could pay off for their community. The SLMC was critical of the strategy and branded Muslim politicians as puppets of the UNP and the SLFP. Ironically, the SLMC adopted the same strategy of accommodation and won positions at the cabinet since 1987 and perks for their family and party loyalists. In fact, the SLMC did not adopt any new strategy, in other words, they just reformed the same old political formula with Islamic religious rhetoric.
In democracy, politicians and parties play major role. People could relate their grievances and problems to them. However, the function of democracy largely depends on votes. Thus, Schumpeter defined democracy as the “competitive struggle for the people’s vote (Joseph A Schumpeter, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy (New York: Harper, 1943). Politicians are not angels. They often claim they choose politics to serve for masses. But their major aim is just power. In other words, politicians and leaders are “motivated by the desire for power, and income…their primary objective is to be elected” (Anthony Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy Economic Theory of Democracy New York: Harper, 1957). The consequences of this slyness nature likely discourage the masses to keep the trust in the system. When masses lose the trust in democratic channels, you may witness illiberal fill the vacuum and gains sympathies to outdo the political moderates.
The logic of the SLMC politics does not suggest any new shift. The same old policy to win Muslim votes, in order to secure cabinet portfolios and perks. It seems there is a slight tendency among the eastern Muslims to reject such a narrow minded politics. Failure of democratic voices may trigger more instability and chaos. Muslims of the North and East may experience such a transformation when democratic political representations crash the expectations of the masses.
Dr. A.R.M. Imtiyaz,Department of Political Science,Temple University, USA., [email- mohamedimtiyaz@yahoo.com]
Rimo said,
October 7, 2007 @ 12:16 pm
Mr. Imthiyas can you please just explain what is charismatic leadership?
According to my understanding, Mr. Hakeem was not opting to that position at all. But I agree the reality that there was no other person to fill that vacant led by late Asraf. But it doest mean he is the KEY CHARISMA.(one of the charismatic leaders whom Sri Lankan Muslims have seen in their history. If you don’t agree, I don’t know which part of the Sri Lanka you are from, ask eastern Muslims). Rather he is one of the weakest leaders whom Muslims got. It was so vivid when people started breakaway factions under his (so called charismatic) leadership.
I think you are from south and UNP supporting back ground.
A.Rajasingam said,
October 8, 2007 @ 5:59 pm
The writer has clearly narrated the logic of the SLMC in their pursuit for recognition of Muslim grievances. The policies of Federal Party is based on the Tamil speaking people where as the SLMC was banging on Islamic religious rhetoric for the Muslims when, in fact, the real cause was not clearly specified. In a federal set up the aspirations of the Muslims would be accommodated, but here is a case where the SLMC was expecting accommodation within the Sinhala polity and for this purpose they identified the Tamils as their primary enemy. However, I have my reservations on certain matters which I would like to present for clarification step by step.
One should not forget that before the independence that Sri Lanka shed blood in 1917 when the Muslims rose against the Sinhalese and it is Sir.P.Ramanathan (Tamil) who came to their rescue. However, it is very unfortunate that after the independence that Sri Lanka witnessed blood from the Tamils and the Sinhalese, within which period the emergence of Islamic organizations in the Middle-East and Pakistan, began to spread its tentacles in South Asia. The impact of the war on Kashmir was reflected when the IPKF attacked the Muslims perhaps on an impression that they were acting against the interests of India. It is after these incidents that the birth of the SLMC emerged and looked for the opportunity to be a partner with the Sinhala political class. But the ultimate strategy of the SLMC not only led to the friction among members of the PA, but also paved way for the same SLMC members to join the UNP and PA for their own benefits. This is the sad part of the Sinhala politicians for not realizing their ulterior motive instead of solving it with a federal solution which I shall narrate hereafter.
It is true that the SLMC resorted to emotional religious appeals that attracted the economically deprived and politically marginalized North-East Muslims with the view to accommodate itself with the PA and identified the Tamil polity as the primary enemy of the Muslims in order to show its importance. This was possible because of the adamant attitude of the LTTE which paved way for the successful trick of the SLMC to cohabit with the Sinhalese polity. Mention should be made that the SLMC was aiming at some other strategy with Islamic religious rhetoric became a dangerous exercise to Sri Lanka with the passage of time. Had there been federal solution in its true perspective, there would have been objections from the Western Provincial Council for transporting arms and ammunitions to the East which occurred when Mr.Ashroff was the Minister of Ports and Shipping and later for the maladministration in the Port when other Muslim Ministers took over it. I like to ask one question what developments took place in the harbour during the PA’s regime. It is the late Mr.Lalith Athulathmudali who deepened the harbour and gave Colombo Harbour a majestic look and much prominence in South Asia. Trade prospered only during his time. On the contrary unprecedented number of Muslims were taken in the Ports Ministry resulting in a utter loss to the government by way of smuggling of arms, drugs, cigarettes, vehicles without payment of adequate dues, etc., straight from the harbour. Can anyone deny that such illegal exercises took place with the indirect blessings of the SLMC and also by other Muslim politicians of the PA by which underworld heroin dealers enriched unjustly. Today an underworld Muslim is charged with the murder of High Court judge, Hon. Mr.Sarath Ambepitiya and is in prison. This is only one stance. Further, I like to point out the conflicts between Rauff Hakim and the then Minister of Defence Anurudda Ratwatte resulting in the shooting of ten Muslims. There was also wide spread rumour of the influx of Muslims from or through Bangaladesh to settle in the Kandyan District and else where on the pretext of employing in garment factories also was a concern whether Sri Lanka being used as a base for Muslim terrorists organization. Mention should be made of the recent arrest of a Muslim Officer from the Department of Registrar of Persons.
The writer cannot boast Mr.Rauf Hakeem as a key charismatic leader of the SLMC, who has decided to follow in the footsteps of late Mr. Ashraff. I knew Mr.Ashrroff personally while at Law College and at Hulftsdorp for sometime. He was a disciplined Muslim. After his death Rauff Hakim had differences with Chandrika which led to the emergence of Mrs.Ferial Ashroff with whom Mr.Rauff Hakim also had friction. It should not be forgotten that the death of Mr.Ashroff is a mystery. Mention should be made of the relationship of Mr.Rauf Hakeem with Ms.Cooray and her suicidal death had raised concern. Further the Mr.Rauff Hakim’s friction with Luxman Kadirgamar revealed the appointment of Mr.Rauff Hakim’s close relation as an ambassador who was, in fact, a glass-cutter. The deliberations that took place with the LTTE also demonstrated the short-sightedness of Rauff Hakim. What was most surprising is the issue of Muslim refugees who had snubbed at the attitudes of these Muslim leaders. Even the Muslims in Puttalam acted differently towards these Muslims refugees. These Muslim refugees are today engaged in underworld criminal activities mainly in drug trafficking with the indirect blessings of Muslim politicians. There are records in the Police Stations. It must be pointed out that these undesirable characters have clandestine links with international Muslim Terrorist Organizations under various names. Against such a background the question of allaying the fears of the Muslims would seem to be meaningless. No doubt the fears of the Muslims in the East are reasonable and justifiable and that their lands should be given forthwith, but they should not resort to illegal means or drag the entire nation for a cause against the West. However, it is difficult hereafter for the SLMC after the death of Mr.Ashroff to adopt any new strategy because the Sinhalese political leaders had begun to allay the fears of federalism among the Sinhalese.
Now I will come to the point where Muslim activities have caused a threat to the South Asian Region. In identifying the Tamil polity as the primary enemy on the pretext of cohabiting with the Sinhalese polity, I must point out that the SLMC slipped in its evil mission. Mention should be made when a dangerous plan by some sections of the Muslims were apprehended and caught red-handed at Chavakachcheri for slaughtering the Tamils, similar to the 1917 riots between the Sinhalese and the Muslims. Although this happened before the birth of the SLMC, SLMC should not have maintained silence without condemning such a deadly plan on humanitarean grounds. Whereas the Tamils came forward to help those affected by the Tsunami within their means but the government adopted restrictive measures in helping the Tsunami refugees. Fortunately around this period, the Indian government caught and arrested some members of the Al-Aqsa movement in Tamil Nadu. No doubt the LTTE should be severely condemned for sending the Muslims out of Jaffna. But the driving away of Muslims appears to be a blessing in disguise on an examination that they had collaborated with the forces. This was a period when international Muslim Terrorist Organizations spread its wings towards the South Asian Region. Further, when Tsunami affected Sri Lanka, several properties that were affected in the Southern coast of Sri Lanka revealed were that of Muslims who had purchased for double the price. Though we sympathize with the victims, God also has his own action. From where did they get these billions of Rupees and how they received have raised everyone’s eyebrows. In addition there were records how Muslims raped and looted the Tsunami affected poor Sinhalese. One more question is about the incidents of a Muslim hijacking or stealing government vehicles and private vehicles (some cases are pending) and selling them to LTTE. Apparently this Muslim from Puttalam has a gang of Muslims (who does all spade work for Muslim politicians) throughout Sri Lanka and has contact with LTTE. What type of logic of politics does the SLMA have. Are these events to be overshadowed by emotional religious appeals. How will the Muslim leaders account to these events that they intent to cohabit with the Sinhala polity? Now what is the logic of politics of the SLMC in its pursuit for recognition of Muslim grievances?
In the light of the above given facts, one ponders whether these are accepted as guidelines and how will they convince with the arrangements as pointed in Quran and how will the SLMC’s growth in relation to the teachings of Quran fit in. Will the Muslims punish those Muslims who are involved in the above crimes.
The Muslims cannot take the law into their hands and have their way in Jaffna because the Jaffna man is basically western-oriented thinking. This is the very reason why the Muslims identified the Tamil polity as their primary enemy. The reason to cohabit with the Sinhala polity had the other effect of strengthening of the JVP because of the negligent attitude of the UNP and PA Sinhala political leaders towards their poverty stricken people. In a way it can be attributed to a social revolution, but unfortunately it had turn towards a Marxist-oriented faction. Now the Sinhalese leaders have begun to look at the merits of the federal solution. It would not be a surprise that with the passage of time the Tamils will come to the rescue of the Sinhalese.
As for their guidance it should be within the framework of democratic structure in a civilized manner. All religions preach to forgive and forget. Religion should not be mixed with politics. Religion promotes compromise and discourages confrontation. Religion teaches tolerance which is the foundation for Peace. Religion teaches how to respect the value of human rights. Religion should not be mixed with politics. It is regret to note that in Asian countries politicians mix religion with politics. Religion should be confined places of worship and nowhere else. The fact that they would prepare to do anything if they were convinced with the arrangements pointed in Quran and Sunnah, then what about the illegal things the Muslims are doing. How is the writer going to justify the bombing of the Twin Tower on September 9th and the London bombing both of which were homes for hundreds of races? Isn’t there any obligation on our part to give a moral support to the Western Forces who are sacrificing their lives and their money for the innocent civilians to live with honour and dignity, in addition to the fact that they give protection, food and shelter. First we have to put our house in order.
We have to respect all religions. No religion is superior to the other. After the end in every religion is the same like all rivers ultimately flowing into the sea. I find that strategy adopted by the SLMC is not in the best interests of Sri Lanka but solely for their own benefits. The Muslims are given a separate portfolio for Muslims Affairs together with other important portfolios and should not deviate from their path.
A.Azmin said,
October 28, 2007 @ 8:33 am
the most of the points are valid here, but the view of the columnist is views are little bit narrow, we must thing about the reasons behind the establishment of SLMC. we must look SLMC as an institution: the people who holding it today a temporary body it should be whipped out, but i would like to make a kind request to the columnist to get more attachment with the practical situations; not from the add hoc look..
thank you
m.m.ahamed said,
March 16, 2008 @ 12:27 pm
ahamed.m.m