Will consent to reforms but not complete repealing it: SLMC
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) yesterday said it would give consent to the reforming of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act but would out rightly renounce complete repealing it.
SLMC said this is one of the thirteen resolutions passed at its delegate conference yesterday.
“SLMC delegates decided to out rightly renounce the proposal to completely repeal the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act but consents to necessary reforms to it within the Islamic precincts, and on what had been agreed upon by Muslim parliamentarians,” the party said. It also decided to oppose the move to increase the electoral cut off point to 12 percent from five percent, to urge the government to adopt and follow the prevailing parliamentary elections system, in the Provincial Council and local government elections and to hold elections, to implore the government to guarantee and ensure the resettlement of the northern muslims who were forcibly evicted in 1990, in a fair and equitable manner through an appropriate national resettlement policy and mechanism, to assess the challenges and issues exclusive to the displaced northern muslims to guarantee their electoral (voter) registration and their inalienable rights to vote.
Also the party said it would urge the government to take steps to create an enabling environment in which all communities are treated equally and with dignity, live in peaceful co-existence and to manifest their democratic political aspirations by ensuring meaningful devolution of power.
SLMC also wanted the government to support the cause of the Rohingya muslims, who were subjected to ethnic cleansing, to take necessary steps to ensure their resettlement with dignity and return to normalcy, to reiterate the rights to self determination of the people of Palestine, the removal of Israeli occupation enabling the freedom of the people of Palestine. The party also wanted the government to pledge its support to bring about a peaceful resolution for the devastating crises in Syria, Yemen and Libya with the proactive involvement of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the UN Secretary General.