Muslims countrywide contributed to SLPP victory: Ali Sabry

• Opines Muslim community responded to call of the SLPP to fall in line with mainstream of politics instead of religious party politics

National List candidate and Muslim Federation President Ali Sabry PC on Sunday declared that Muslims in various parts of the country contributed in their own way in support of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s (SLPP) landslide victory at the 5 August Parliamentary Election. 

Sabry said members of the Muslim community responded to the call of the SLPP to fall in line with the mainstream of politics instead of the religious party politics.

To mark the victory of the SLPP, Sabry was accorded warm reception in Muslims areas in Colombo such as Aluthkade, Grandpass, Maligawatte, Modera, Kolonnawa and Hulftsdorp. Muslim Federation is linked to SLPP. Its National Organiser A.L.M Uwais Hajiar also took part in the victory celebrations.

“We were able to get between 35-40% of the Muslim votes since they realised that Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Government would give them a better deal,” Sabry said. He revealed that Muslims in Kalutara, Beruwela, Weligama, Bandaragama, Colombo, Kandy and Kurunegala supported the SLPP at the 2020 elections.  Sabry lamented that the Muslim turnout in the North and the East was poor since the SLPP being a new party would take time to take roots in those areas and also that the SLPP candidates were amateurs.

Attributing reasons for the resounding success and the enhanced response from the Muslim community, Sabry said during the brief regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa, people realised that he is only person in the country who could deliver the goods well.  “The Government’s combat program of the COVID-19 impressed the entire nation that this is the ideal Government with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President and Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister to serve its people for peaceful coexistence and make them live in peace, harmony and prosperity,” Sabry said. 

“The combination of President and Premier was not only cordial but also proved people that such partnership could even run without the Parliament,” he opined.

“We are encouraged by the support of the Muslims to the SLPP and we will continue to work with them to enhance the cooperation from all areas under the Muslim Federation banner,” Sabry emphasised.