Minister of Industry and Commerce, All Ceylon Makkal Congress Leader and Vanni ACMC Group Leader Rishad Bathiudeen, too, has backed the call for a new Coastal Administrative Unit in East on 09 August.
The ACMC Leader said on 09 August. “If voters of Ampara District elect two new ACMC MPs from us and send the traditional Ampara SLMC MPs home, then it will be sufficient proof that (they) have given us, the ACMC, a mandate. Today, I tell you, the Eastern Muslims that I will promptly and formally pressure the new government and the new Prime Minister to form a Coastal Administrative Unit in East.”
Vanni ACMC Leader Bathiudeen was addressing a special ACMC Press briefing held for the Eastern Provincial Press at Sammanthurai. Joining Rishad Bathiudeen were ACMC Eastern candidates and officials including S. M. M. Ismail, ACMC Digamadulla candidate.
“Late SLMC leader Hon Ashraff’s call for a Coastal Administrative Unit in East was due to the inconveniences caused to Eastern Tamil speaking people who had to go all the way to Ampara for their administrative matters and even got inconvenienced further” said Bathiudeen.
“The current Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leadership always renews its call for such an administrative unit whenever there are elections in East and thereafter they simply forget it. This SLMC trick has been going on for a long time, but the Eastern Muslims are no fools. Seeing the sad plight of Eastern Muslims, we at ACMC have decided to face the polls in East for the first time in this election contesting on our own. The SLMC has only two MPs from Ampara District at present.
If voters of Ampara District elect two new ACMC MPs and send the traditional Ampara SLMC MPs home, then it will be sufficient proof that Ampara Muslims have rejected SLMC totally and instead, have given us, the ACMC the total mandate.
If that it done, today I tell you, the Eastern Muslims that I will promptly and formally pressure the new government and the new Prime Minister to form a Coastal Administrative Unit in East so that Eastern Muslim people are relieved at last.”