Rauff Hakeem

Last updated
  1. ↑ Minister of City Planning and Water Supply from September 2015.
  2. ↑ As Minister of Trade, Industrial Development and Rural Industries
Hon.
Rauff Hakeem
MP
රවුෆ් හකීම්
ரவூப் ஹக்கீம்
Rauff Hakeem.jpg
Minister of Urban Development, Water Supply and Drainage [a]
In office
12 January 2015 –3 June 2019

Abdul Rauff Hibbathul Hakeem (born 13 April 1960) is a Sri Lankan politician and current member of parliament, representing the Kandy electorate since 2010. Hakeem is the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), the largest Islamic party in Sri Lanka.

Contents

Early life and education

Hakeem was born 13 April 1960 in Nawalapitiya in Kandy District. [1] [2] He was educated at Royal College, Colombo [2] [3] [4] and attended the Sri Lanka Law College, taking oath as an attorney-at-law. [5] He later gained a LL.M. degree from the University of Colombo. [2]

Political career

Hakeem met M. H. M. Ashraff, founder of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, whilst working at Faisz Musthapha's law chambers. [6]

Hakeem joined the SLMC in 1988. [1] He served as general-secretary of the party from 1992 to 2000 and represented the party at the All Party Conference from 1991 to 1993. [5] Prior to the 1994 parliamentary election, the SLMC entered an electoral pact with main opposition alliance, the People's Alliance (PA). [7]

After the election, Hakeem was appointed as a PA National List MP in the Sri Lankan Parliament. [8] [9] Following the PA's victory, the SLMC joined the new government. [7] Ashraff was appointed Minister of Shipping, Ports and Rehabilitation and two other SLMC MPs became deputy ministers whilst Hakeem became Deputy Chairman of Committees. [7] [10] [11] [12] [13]

By 2000, relations between the SLMC and PA had become strained. [14] In 1999, Ashraff founded the National Unity Alliance (NUA) with the aim of creating a "united Sri Lanka by 2012". [15] [16] Ashraff was killed in a mysterious helicopter crash on 16 September 2000. [17] [18] [19]

Following Ashraff's death, Hakeem became the SLMC's 'thesiya thalaivar' (national leader), however, a power struggle ensued between Ashraff's widow Ferial Ashraff and Hakeem for control of the party. [5] [20]

Hakeem contested the 2000 parliamentary election as one of the NUA's candidates in the Kandy District. He was elected and re-entered Parliament. [21] He was appointed Minister of Internal and International Trade Commerce, Muslim Religious Affairs and Shipping Development after the election. [22] [23] In June 2001, president Chandrika Kumaratunga dismissed Hakeem from his ministerial position. [24] [25] As a result, Hakeem and most SLMC MPs left the PA. [20] [26] [27] However, Ferial Ashraff remained in the PA as leader of the NUA. [20]

In October 2001, the Hakeem-led SLMC joined the United National Party-led United National Front (UNF). [28] Hakeem contested the 2001 parliamentary election as one of the UNF's candidates in the Kandy District, and was successfully reelected. [29] The UNF defeated the PA at the election, after which Hakeem was appointed Minister of Ports Development and Shipping in the UNF government. [30] [31]

Hakeem contested the 2004 parliamentary election as one of the SLMC's candidates in the Ampara District. He was elected and re-entered Parliament. [32] He however lost his cabinet position after the UNF was defeated by the newly formed United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

In January 2007, the SLMC joined the UPFA. [33] [34] [35] Hakeem was rewarded by being appointed Minister of Posts and Telecommunication. [36] [37] The SLMC left the UPFA in December 2007. [38] [39] Hakeem resigned from Parliament in April 2008 to contest the provincial council election. [40] He contested the 2008 provincial council election as one of the UNF's candidates in the Trincomalee District and was elected to the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC). [41] After the UNF failed to win control of the EPC, Hakeem resigned in July 2008 and was appointed as a UNF National List MP. [42] [43]

Hakeem contested the 2010 parliamentary election as one of the UNF's candidates in the Kandy District. He was elected and re-entered Parliament. [44]

In November 2010, the SLMC defected to the UPFA again, [45] [46] and Hakeem was appointed as Minister of Justice. [47] [48]

In December 2014, the SLMC left the UPFA to support common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the presidential election. [49] [50] President Mahinda Rajapaksa dismissed Hakeem from his ministerial position. [51] Following his victory, newly elected President Sirisena appointed Hakeem as Minister of Urban Development, Water Supply and Drainage in the new cabinet. [52] [53] [54] [55]

In July 2015, the SLMC joined with other anti-Rajapaksa parties to form the United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) to contest the parliamentary election. [56] [57] [58] Hakeem was one of the UNFGG's candidates in the Kandy District at the 2015 parliamentary election. He was elected and re-entered Parliament. [59] [60] His cabinet portfolio was changed to Minister of City Planning and Water Supply following the election. [61] [62] [63]

In 2020, following opposition leader Sajith Premadasa's split from the UNP, the SLMC opted to join Premadasa's new alliance, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. [64] In the 2020 parliamentary election, Hakeem was reelected to parliament as a candidate of the SJB in the Kandy District, and was reelected again in 2024. [65]

Personal life

Hakeem is married to Shanaz (Shahnaz), owner of an ice cream parlour in Colombo. [66] [67] [68]

Kumari Cooray controversy

During Hakeem's 2001 parliamentary election campaign, Kumari Cooray, daughter of politician Mervyn J. Cooray, claimed and then denied that she had been having an affair with Hakeem. [69] In May 2004, during the struggle to fill the Speaker position in Parliament, Cooray appeared on Rupavahini and claimed that Hakeem had ended their relationship and that she was suicidal. [70] [71] Cooray killed herself by setting herself ablaze outside Hakeem's home in Kollupitiya on 6 October 2005. [72] [73] According to the Sunday Times , two months prior to her suicide Cooray had made a complaint at Kollupitiya police station that Hakeem had assaulted her at her home. [74]

Electoral history

Electoral history of Rauff Hakeem
ElectionConstituencyPartyAllianceVotesResult
2000 parliamentary [21] Kandy District SLMC NUA 28,033Elected
2001 parliamentary [29] Kandy District SLMC UNF 71,094Elected
2004 parliamentary [32] Ampara District SLMC 68,627Elected
2008 provincial Trincomalee District SLMC UNF Elected
2010 parliamentary [44] Kandy District SLMC UNF 54,047Elected
2015 parliamentary [75] Kandy District SLMC UNFGG 102,186Elected
2020 parliamentary [44] Kandy District SLMC SJB 83,398Elected
2024 parliamentary [65] Kandy District SLMC SJB 30,883Elected

References

  1. 1 2 "Directory of Members: Rauff Hakeem". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  2. 1 2 3 Liyanasuriya, Sathya (6 March 2014). "'Astute Hakeem will survive to tell the tale'". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) .
  3. ↑ "PA consorts with SLMC". The Island (Sri Lanka) . 24 September 2000.
  4. ↑ Goonarathne, Elmo (27 February 2015). "Ideals ofashraff and hakeem". Ceylon Today . Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Peebles, Patrick (2015). Historical Dictionary of Sri Lanka. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 167. ISBN   978-1-4422-5584-5.
  6. ↑ Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (20 September 2015). "Remembering MHM Ashraff the Legendary Leader of the Muslim Congress on his 15th Death Anniversary". dbsjeyaraj.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (30 September 2000). "Obituary: A pioneering leader - M.H.M. Ashraff, 1948-2000". Frontline . 17 (20).
  8. ↑ "Segudawood and Nijamudeen betrayed Muslim Congress - DUA". Daily News (Sri Lanka) . 3 July 2004.
  9. ↑ Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (9 February 2003). "The leadership crisis in the Muslim congress". The Sunday Leader .
  10. ↑ "Senior Sri Lankan Minister killed in helicopter crash". TamilNet . 16 September 2000.
  11. ↑ "The New Cabinet" (PDF). Tamil Times . XIII (8): 4. 15 August 1994. ISSN   0266-4488.
  12. ↑ Samad, Ashraff A. (16 September 2012). "Remembering a Minister, poet and inspiring Muslim leader". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) .
  13. ↑ "Deputy Chairman of Committees". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  14. ↑ "Helicopter crash probe launched". BBC News . 17 September 2000.
  15. ↑ Peiris, Roshan (19 September 1999). "Ashraff's mission 2012: unity in diversity". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) .
  16. ↑ Salman, M. H. M. (27 January 2015). "Democracy without Opposition and the NUA". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) .
  17. ↑ "Key minister killed in Sri Lanka crash". BBC News . 16 September 2000.
  18. ↑ "Ashraff dies in mystery crash". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) . 17 September 2000.
  19. ↑ "Minister Ashraff among 14 killed in helicopter crash" (PDF). Tamil Times . XIX (9): 4. 15 September 2000. ISSN   0266-4488.
  20. 1 2 3 Farook, Latheef (23 December 2014). "SLMC: Liability on the Muslim community". Daily FT . Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  21. 1 2 "General Election 2000 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-08-26.
  22. ↑ "New cabinet sworn in today". Current Affairs. Policy Research and Information Unit, Presidential Secretariat. 19 October 2000. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  23. ↑ "SLMC, EPDP get plum portfolios". TamilNet . 19 October 2000.
  24. ↑ "Rauff Hakeem removed from cabinet". TamilNet . 20 June 2001.
  25. ↑ Subramanian, Nirupama (21 June 2001). "SLMC may offer issue-based support". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 9 February 2015.
  26. ↑ Satyapalan, Franklin R. (21 June 2001). "SLMC-NUA quit PA coalition". The Island (Sri Lanka) .
  27. ↑ "Sri Lanka govt. faces collapse as Muslims leave". TamilNet . 20 June 2001.
  28. ↑ "UNP to contest as UNF with elephant symbol". TamilNet . 21 October 2001.
  29. 1 2 "General Election 2001 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24.
  30. ↑ "New Ministers". Daily News (Sri Lanka) . 13 December 2001. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012.
  31. ↑ "Wickremesinghe appoints cabinet of 25". TamilNet . 12 December 2001.
  32. 1 2 "General Election 2004 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-03-04.
  33. ↑ "UNP dissidents, SLMC join UPFA government, appointed ministers". TamilNet . 28 January 2007.
  34. ↑ "18 jumbos cross over". Daily News (Sri Lanka) . 29 January 2007. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012.
  35. ↑ Chandani Kirinde and Chris Kamalendran (28 January 2007). "Crossover today, MoU ends". The Sunday Times .
  36. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1482/08. 29 January 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014.
  37. ↑ "The New Cabinet". The Island (Sri Lanka) . 29 January 2007.
  38. ↑ "SLMC resigns from Rajapaksa government". TamilNet . 12 December 2007.
  39. ↑ "Why the SLMC quit the Rajapaska government". The Nation (Sri Lanka) . 16 December 2007. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
  40. ↑ "Hakeem resigns parliamentary seat to contest EPC election". TamilNet . 2 April 2008.
  41. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PROVINCIAL COUNCILS ELECTIONS ACT, No. 2 OF 1988 Eastern Province Provincial Council" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1549/17. 15 May 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2014.
  42. ↑ "Hakim takes oath as UNP national list parliamentarian". TamilNet . 10 July 2008.
  43. ↑ Nakkawita, Wijitha; de Silva, Lakshmi (11 July 2008). "Hakeem sworn in as MP". The Island (Sri Lanka) .
  44. 1 2 3 "Parliamentary General Election - 2010 Kandy Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-17.
  45. ↑ "SLMC officially crosses over to government". TamilNet . 22 November 2010.
  46. ↑ Bandara, Kelum (13 November 2010). "SLMC decides to join govt". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) . Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
  47. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1681/2. 22 November 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014.
  48. ↑ "New Faced Boost Cabinet as Hopes Rise". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 28 November 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  49. ↑ "Sri Lanka's biggest Muslim party ditches Rajapaksa". The Guardian . Associated Press. 28 December 2014.
  50. ↑ "SLMC to support Sirisena, Hakeem resigns ministerial portfolio". TamilNet . 28 December 2014.
  51. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications NOTIFICATION" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1895/45. 3 January 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  52. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1897/16. 18 January 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2015.
  53. ↑ "New Cabinet ministers sworn in". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) . 12 January 2015.
  54. ↑ "New Cabinet takes oaths". The Nation (Sri Lanka) . 12 January 2015. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015.
  55. ↑ Imtiaz, Zahrah; Moramudali, Umesh (13 January 2015). "27-member cabinet 10 State ministers 08 Deputy ministers". Ceylon Today . Archived from the original on 18 January 2015.
  56. ↑ Perera, Yohan (13 July 2015). "Good Governance MoU signed". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) . Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  57. ↑ "Disillusioned supporters of Sri Lanka President form a new front with UNP to contest parliamentary elections". Colombo Page. 11 July 2015.
  58. ↑ Rajasingham, K. T. (12 July 2015). "A Broad Holy Alliance for Good Governance – Minus Maithripala Srisena". Asian Tribune .
  59. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ACT, No. 1 OF 1981" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1928/03. 19 August 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015.
  60. ↑ "Ranil tops with over 500,000 votes in Colombo". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) . 19 August 2015.
  61. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1932/07. 14 September 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  62. ↑ "New Cabinet". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) . 4 September 2015.
  63. ↑ "The new Cabinet". Ceylon Today . 4 September 2015. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015.
  64. ↑ "JHU, Tamil Progressive Alliance and SLMC to support Sajith's Alliance". News First. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  65. 1 2 "Kandy District preferential vote results". www.adaderana.lk. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  66. ↑ "Features". The Island (Sri Lanka) . 4 September 2003.
  67. ↑ Abeynayake, Rajpal (13 October 2002). "A different parlour game altogether". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) .
  68. ↑ Jayasekara, Bandula (4 March 2016). "Anagarika Mahinda, Soprano Ranil, CBK into Coconuts". The Island (Sri Lanka) .
  69. ↑ Satyapalan, Franklin R. (7 October 2005). "Suicide drama in Hakeem's compound". The Island (Sri Lanka) .
  70. ↑ "Rauff Hakeem cheated me in love". Daily News (Sri Lanka) . 17 May 2004.
  71. ↑ "We will pay you Rs. 20 million". The Sunday Leader . 23 May 2004. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  72. ↑ Hettiarachchi, Kumudini (23 October 2005). "From fame to flames". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) .
  73. ↑ Jayasinghe, Jayampathy (9 October 2005). "Kumari Cooray suicide : Police probe security lapse". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka) . Archived from the original on 4 January 2006. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  74. ↑ Fuard, Asif (9 October 2005). "Police question Hakeem on Kumari's death". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) .
  75. ↑ Jayakody, Pradeep (28 August 2015). "The Comparison of Preferential Votes in 2015 & 2010". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) .
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