July 6 (IL) Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Western Provincial Council candidate M.P.M. Sheriff yesterday withdrew his candidature with immediate effect claiming that leader Rauff Hakeem has pawned and mortgaged the SLMC to the United National Party (UNP).
Mr. Sheriff had decided to resign from the SLMC following a statement made by Mr. Hakeem that the Basheer Segu Dawood and S. Nijamudeen�s decision to become members of the UNP is a minor matter and that there no need for anyone to get upset about it.
In his letter to the SLMC General Secretary, the resigned candidate stated that even though he had resigned from the UNP and joined the SLMC with a view to serve the Colombo Muslim community, because he thought that the SLMC was an independent and fearless without being subjected to the control and dictates other political parties, he has come to realize that this was not so.
Sources however noted that according to the SLMC constitution, the SLMC enjoins a member of the SLMC cannot have membership or become a member of another political party. The moment one becomes a member of another political party he ceases to be a member of the SLMC.
The source also added that the decision taken by the SLMC members to become a members of the UNP was unconstitutional and an adverse move, which has been taken defying highest tradition, set down by its founder leader M.H.M. Ashraff. (MM)
