Muslims in various parts of the country contributed in their own way in support of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), which won a landslide at the recently concluded general election on Wednesday, Ali Sabry, President of the Muslim Federation of the party said on Sunday.

Sabry, who has been nominated as a member of the new parliament from the National List of the SLPP, was analyzing how the members of the Muslim community responded to the call of the SLPP to join the mainstream of politics instead of ethno-religious ones.

To mark the victory of the SLPP, Sabry was accorded warm receptions in Muslim areas of Colombo such as Hulftsdorp, Grandpass, Maligawatte, Modera and Kolannawa. National Organizer of the Muslim Federation A. L. M Uwais Hajjiar also took part in the victory celebrations.

“We were able to secure between 35 and 40 per cent of the Muslim votes since they realised that Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government would give them a better deal,” Sabry said, adding that Muslims in Kalutara, Beruwela, Weligama, Bandaragama, Colombo, Kandy and Kurnegala, had supported the SLPP at the recently-concluded election. He lamented that the Muslim turnout in the north and the East was poor since the SLPP being a new party would take time to establish itself in that part of the country, and the SLPP candidates were new comers.

Attributing reasons for the resounding success and the enhanced response from the Muslim community, Sabry said during the brief regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa, people had realised that he was the only person in the country who could deliver the goods well. He added that the way the government battled the Covid-19 had impressed the entire nation that it was the ideal government with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President and Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Premier to serve its people for peaceful coexistence and make them live in peace, harmony and prosperity. “The combination of the President and Premier was not only cordial, but also proved to the people that such partnership could even run without the parliament,” he stressed.

“We are encouraged by the support of the Muslims to the SLPP but we will continue to work with them to enhance the cooperation from all areas under the Muslim Federation banner,” Sabri concluded.