The Sirisena-Wickremesinghe friction and the Café story on proposed ban on Niqab
A ‘sneak peek’ into the frictions between President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is borne out in the Parliamentary Select Committee report on the Easter Sunday attacks.
This is what it said: “The President informed the PSC that he had suspicions on some information that was discussed at the NSC which subsequently was reported in the media.
“One specific incident was the Sunday Times report dated 21st August 2016 where the Prime Minister is reported to have objected to banning the Niqab at the NSC meeting. The President indicated that no minutes were taken at the NSC and he felt Report of the Select Committee of Parliament to look into and report to Parliament on the Terrorist Attacks that took place in different places in Sri Lanka on 21st April 2019 the information on the specific discussion point had emanated from the Prime Minister’s camp for the purpose of political mileage.
“This reason is cited by the President for not inviting the Prime Minister after the 7th October 2018 meeting, but this is not an adequate excuse as the incident around the Niqab was in 2016 and the Prime Minister was only not invited in 2018. The PSC also notes that if the President had a problem with information discussed leaking to the media; this issue should have been discussed at the NSC.
“There was no indication that he raised this as a problem at the NSC. Evidence also indicated to the irregular NSC meetings and that sometimes meetings were called within a few hours with no time for preparation. The PSC was informed that the ad-hoc meetings and lack of focus contributed to it becoming an ineffective body with direct responsibility falling with the President….”
The reference is to a report that appeared in these columns Café Spectator on August 16, 2016. Excerpts from the report:
“Believe it or not! The National Security Council (NSC) recently considered a proposal by a top Defence Ministry official to impose a ban on Muslim women in Sri Lanka wearing the burqa or niqab. The burqa is the full body dress, usually black, with a mesh cover over the eyes. This is worn by some more traditionally minded Muslim women. The niqab is similar with only an opening over the eye area.
“MoD official’s proposal, a wellinformed source said, was based on the recommendations by a controversial top sleuth running one of the country’s intelligence agencies of a service arm. The person has been serving in that top position under the previous Government, too.
“The top sleuth had made the recommendation in the belief that radicalisation in the Muslim community has gone beyond control — a point he has been articulating at different security meetings. The MoD official’s proposal to the NSC came thereafter.
“Though there is an element of truth — that Islamic radicalisation has its presence in Sri Lanka, just as much as elsewhere in the world – it is far from going out of control. Many believe that a vast majority of Sri Lankan Muslims have assimilated well with local mores and lived in harmony with others. Well placed intelligence sources said, however, that the radicalisation process was confined mostly to the Colombo District and parts of the Eastern Province. According to these sources the move for an immediate ban is “not only alarmist but also a measure that would discredit the Government in the eyes of the Muslims and enrage Muslim countries in West Asia.
“It was Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who frowned on the proposal and pointed out that it would be highly damaging to the Government. He was of the view that Muslims supported the United National Front (UNF) alliance both at the presidential and parliamentary elections last year. The proposal was thereafter dropped….”
It is not the duty of this newspaper to reveal sources. It would suffice to say Premier Wickremesinghe had little or nothing to do with this report. Was this also an intelligence canard? President Sirisena should be careful of such reports, at least for the rest of his term.