Rauff Hakeem

Abdul Rauff Hibbathul Hakeem MP (born 13 April 1960) is a Sri Lankan politician. He is a former Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament from the Kandy Electoral District since 2010. Hakeem is the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), a member of the United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG).

Hon.

Rauff Hakeem

MP
ரவூப் ஹக்கீம்
රවුෆ් හකීම්
Minister of Urban Development, Water Supply and Drainage [lower-alpha 1]
In office
12 January 2015 – 3 June 2019
PresidentMaithripala Sirisena
Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe
Minister of Justice
In office
22 November 2010 – 28 December 2014
PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa
Prime MinisterD. M. Jayaratne
Preceded byAthauda Seneviratne
Succeeded byWijeyadasa Rajapakshe
Minister of Posts and Telecommunication
In office
28 January 2007 – 16 December 2007
PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa
Prime MinisterD. M. Jayaratne
Minister of Ports Development and Shipping
In office
December 2001 – April 2004
PresidentChandrika Kumaratunga
Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe
Preceded byMahinda Rajapaksa
Succeeded byMangala Samaraweera
Minister of Internal and International Trade Commerce, Muslim Religious Affairs and Shipping Development
In office
19 October 2000 – 20 June 2001
PresidentChandrika Kumaratunga
Prime MinisterRatnasiri Wickremanayake
Succeeded byRonnie de Mel [lower-alpha 2]
Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
In office
25 August 1994 – 18 August 2000
Preceded byAriya B. Rekawa
In office
14 September 2000 – 10 October 2000
Succeeded byLalith Dissanayake
Leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress
Assumed office
2000
Preceded byM. H. M. Ashraff
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament
for Kandy District
Assumed office
2010
In office
2000–2004
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament
for Ampara District
In office
2004–2008
Succeeded byA. M. M. Naushad
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament
for National List
In office
2008–2010
Preceded byBasheer Segu Dawood
In office
1994–2000
Member of the Eastern Provincial Council for Trincomalee District
In office
2008–2008
Succeeded byA. U. Razik Fareed
Personal details
Born (1960-04-13) 13 April 1960
Nawalapitiya, Ceylon
Political partySri Lanka Muslim Congress
Alma materRoyal College, Colombo, Sri Lanka Law College
ProfessionAttorney-at-law
Websiterauffhakeem.lk
  1. Minister of City Planning and Water Supply from September 2015.
  2. As Minister of Trade, Industrial Development and Rural Industries

Early life and education

Hakeem was born 13 April 1960 in Nawalapitiya in the Kandy District.[1][2] He was educated at Royal College, Colombo[2][3][4] and attended the Sri Lanka Law College, taking oaths 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 and leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), whilst working at Faisz Musthapha's chambers.[6]

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress

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

Parliament

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] Earlier, in 1999, Ashraff had 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] Hakeem contested the 2000 parliamentary election as one of the NUA's candidates in Kandy District. He was elected and re-entered Parliament.[20] He was appointed Minister of Internal and International Trade Commerce, Muslim Religious Affairs and Shipping Development after the election.[21][22]

Leader of the SLMC

Following the death of Ashraff in September 2000 Hakeem became the SLMC's "thesiya thalaivar" (national leader) but there was a power struggle between Ashraff's widow Ferial Ashraff and Hakeem for control of the party.[5][23] In June 2001 President Chandrika Kumaratunga dismissed Hakeem from the cabinet.[24][25] As a result, Hakeem and most SLMC MPs left the PA.[23][26][27] However, Ferial Ashraff remained in the PA as leader of the NUA.[23]

United National Front

In October 2001 the Hakeem led SLMC joined the United National Party dominated United National Front (UNF).[28] Hakeem contested the 2001 parliamentary election as one of the UNF's candidates in Kandy District. He was elected and re-entered Parliament.[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 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).

United People's Freedom Alliance

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 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 UNF National List MP.[42][43]

United National Front

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

United People's Freedom Alliance

In November 2010 the SLMC joined UPFA again.[45][46] Hakeem was rewarded by being appointed Minister of Justice.[47][48]

2015 presidential election

The SLMC left the UPFA in December 2014 to support common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the presidential election.[49][50] President Mahinda Rajapaksa dismissed Hakeem from the cabinet.[51] After the election newly elected President Sirisena rewarded Hakeem by appointing him Minister of Urban Development, Water Supply and Drainage.[52][53][54][55]

United National Front for Good Governance

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 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 after the election.[61][62][63]

Kumari Cooray controversy

During the 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.[64] 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.[65][66] Cooray killed herself by setting herself ablaze outside Hakeem's home in Kollupitiya on 6 October 2005.[67][68] 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.[69]

Personal life

Hakeem is married to Shanaz (Shahnaz), owner of an ice cream parlour in Colombo.[70][71][72]

Electoral history
Electoral history of Rauff Hakeem
Election Constituency Party Alliance Votes Result
2000 parliamentary[20]Kandy DistrictSri Lanka Muslim CongressNational Unity Alliance28,033Elected
2001 parliamentary[29]Kandy DistrictSri Lanka Muslim CongressUnited National Front71,094Elected
2004 parliamentary[32]Ampara DistrictSri Lanka Muslim Congress68,627Elected
2008 provincialTrincomalee DistrictSri Lanka Muslim CongressUnited National FrontElected
2010 parliamentary[44]Kandy DistrictSri Lanka Muslim CongressUnited National Front54,047Elected
2015 parliamentary[73]Kandy DistrictSri Lanka Muslim CongressUnited National Front for Good Governance102,186Elected

References
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  5. Peebles, Patrick (2015). Historical Dictionary of Sri Lanka. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-4422-5584-5.
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  9. Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (9 February 2003). "The leadership crisis in the Muslim congress". The Sunday Leader.
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