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, said 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 said.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 further 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-pressures 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 theirfamilies 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 the Kurunegala Dr. Shafi. But, how many of you actually know that the groups that made the false complaint against Doctor Shafi are aligned with our party’s political opponent?
“This is just an example for the unscrupulous attitude of the rival party who disguise themselves as 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 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”he said.
“Should a rival candidate wins by your votes cast to the third party, our community will be pushed into a pathetic situation and live in serfdom forever” he said. He further reiterated that the Muslims ought not to waste their votes, as it is a suicidal attempt for the community’s well being.
“The community must unanimously decide to strengthen Sajith’s Presidential candidacy which will be the one and only way to safeguard our rights and live in peace and harmony in this country,” he said.