SLMC kicks out 2 Ministers

By Wilson Gnanadass

The High Command of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has taken a decision to expel Minister of Disaster Relief, Ameer Ali and Deputy Minister of Livestock Development Kamarudeen Abdul Baiz from the party.
The decision was taken when the high command of the party led by parliamentarian Rauf Hakeem met in Colombo last Sunday (22).
With this action taken by the SLMC, both ministers are likely to lose their parliamentary seats as they have entered parliament from the SLMC ticket.
The letters indicating their expulsion addressed to both ministers, according to top SLMC officials are to be posted to them today.
The high command in unison decided on Sunday not to accept the explanation tendered by these two members over their appeal to the party to reconsider them as SLMC members.
Earlier during the North-Western Provincial Council election, Baiz was offered the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) membership and this was given wide publicity in the local media.
To a query raised by the SLMC leadership regarding this, Baiz had flatly denied accepting SLFP membership but instead had told the party that he has only accepted a post as an electoral organiser of the ‘government party’.
Not able to comprehend the response, the party then had decided to call for a meeting of the high command.
The high command that met on Sunday has finally decided that both Ali and Baiz must be expelled from the party for their allegiance to the UPFA government while continuing to claim membership with the SLMC.
The SLMC, The Bottom Line reliably learns is also planning to notify the other rebels, who are with the government that they too would soon be sacked from the party for their links with the government while continuing to claim membership with the SLMC.