SLMC urges govt. to strengthen good governance

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has urged the government to take measures, inter alia, to strengthen good governance, restoring civil administration and to maintain law and order, the party's secretary general Hassan Ali said yesterday.

The party, an ally of the ruling coalition, presented its proposals to the government last week on the implementation of recommendations made by the Commission Lessons Learned and Reconciliation (LLRC).

Mr Ali told the Daily Mirror that his party took note of the positive recommendations made ​​in the report, and in particular stressed the need to address key issues concerning the Muslim community in the north and east.

"In some parts of the East, Muslims were evacuated from their villages to establish military cantonments. These people have complained to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka. Yet there are land issues. Muslims are yet internally displaced to be resettled, "he said.

He said that the delay in the evolution of a political solution does not bode well for the country.

"Three years have passed after the end of the war. But little has been done on the ground to address political grievances. On the part of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), there are real concerns," he said.