SILMIYA YOUSUF
COLOMBO: A meeting to commemorate the 101st birth anniversary of the Former Speaker Late Mohamed Haniffa Mohamed will be held at the Islamic Center,Maligawatte, on Monday,26 April.
Mohamed had been a pillar of the Muslim community, who commanded a great respect from the members of all communities. During this parliamentary career, he represented the Borella electorate, where there was a majority of 80 percent Sinhalese voters.
Besides being the first Muslim mayor in Colombo, Mohammed had also officiated as Speaker of the parliament and has held several ministerial portfolios in the Sri Lankan cabinet.
Being a founder member of the Constituent Council of the Muslim World League, Mohamed founded the Islamic Center in Colombo which has been offering multifarious services to community which includes scholarships to hundreds of university students.
Born in Colombo to a conservative Muslim family. His father was a proctor by profession. An old boy of Wesley College Colombo,He took to the family business then dominating the Shipping industry in Sri Lanaka.
Mohamed first entered politics in the year 1945, as a young Member of the Colombo Municipal Council. He contested the Maligawatte municipal ward as an Independent candidate supported by the Communist Party.
He entered the mainstream of politics by contesting the Borella constituency which was a 95% Sinhala Buddhist electorate in 1965. However, it was a marginal win of just 1000 votes more than the then star leftist candidate Mrs. Vivien Gunawardena.
He served as the Minster of Labour, Employment and Housing with Cabinet status in 1965and was responsible in making legislation to grant gratuity for the private sector employees. He introduced the concept of building housing schemes in Colombo for underprivileged people and the housing schemes presently standing in Borella and Maligawatte, were initiated by him.
He was the first Minister of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs with cabinet status under both the JR and Premadhasa Regimes and took this opportunity to look after the interests and wellbeing of the Sri Lankan Muslims.
