In an unexpected turn of events, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress has decided to have two secretaries, Hassan Ali who will serve as Secretary General and Mansoor Cader who was elected as the secretary to the Political Board until the next Delegates Conference due to take place early next year. Incumbent Secretary General Hassan Ali told the Sunday Observer that much of the rift within the party was due to the election of two secretaries during the last High Command meeting in Kandy earlier this year.
“While I was the secretary general, another secretary to the High Command was appointed and bestowed the authority to liaise with the Elections Commissioner,” he said.
“It was decided during a meeting this week, that the party will have two secretaries until the next conference, when all office bearers will be changed.”
He said that the leader of the party, Minister Rauff Hakeem had promised the board that all powers will be vested with the Secretary General and that he would do away with the post of Secretary to the Political Board.
Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya at a meeting on Friday with SLMC members had said that the party cannot have a General Secretary and a Secretary to the Party. He asked that he be notified of the person who will be recognized as the legitimate secretary since it concerns the next election.
Meanwhile, Ali also told explicitly of his intention to enter parliament. Minister Rauff Hakeem was not available for a comment on the matter at the time this edition of the paper went to press.