Faiszer Musthapha

Education

Musthapha received his primary and secondary education at Royal College, Colombo and graduated from the Ceylon Law College. He obtained his post-graduate degree, Master of Law (LLM) from the University of Aberdeen, U.K.

Legal career

Faiszer Musthapha chose the legal profession as his career following in the footsteps of his father Faisz Musthapha. Faiszer Musthapha had specialized in company law and established a very successful practice eventually earning the title of President's Counsel. It was the first time in the history of Sri Lanka that both a father and son had attained the title of President's Counsel. He also held the position of Vice Chairman of Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC) 2002-2003 and subsequently, Vice Chairman of National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) 2002–2004.

Political career

Musthapha entered politics as a member of the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) in 2004 and was elected as a Member of Parliament the same year, representing the Kandy District. Following the elections, the CWC announced its unconditional support to the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), thereby allowing the UPFA to form a government.

In the subsequent parliamentary elections in 2010, Musthapha contested for reelection as a member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). With Faiszer as its candidate, the SLFP was able to achieve Muslim representation in Parliament from the Central Province for the first time in 54 years. He was then appointed a Central Committee member of the SLFP, a position he continues to hold.

In 2005, he was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Tourism and later functioned as the Minister of Tourism Promotion (non-cabinet), the Deputy Minister of Environment, the Deputy Minister of Technology and Research and thereafter as the Deputy Minister of Investment Promotion.

As the Deputy Minister of Environment, in April 2010, the Hon. Faiszer Musthapha led the Sri Lankan delegation to the 34th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Brasília, Brazil, where he played a key role in convincing the members of the World Heritage Committee to approve the inscription of Horton Plains, Knuckles Conservative Forest and Peak Wilderness (forest area around Sri-Pada) as World Heritage Sites.

He had previously served as a member of the Cabinet sub-committee appointed to look into and identify Laws and Regulations Obstructing Investments and as a Member of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE).

He was one of many SLFP MPs who crossed over to the opposition in support of Maithripala Sirisena to campaign against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the 2015 presidential election, which would be won by Sirisena. In the cabinet reshuffle that followed, Mustapha was appointed as State Minister of Aviation from which he resigned barely a month later. Soon after, he was appointed as Legal Advisor to President Maithripala Sirisena.

Following the 2015 parliamentary elections, Faiszer Musthapha entered Parliament through the National List and was appointed Cabinet Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government. He was also a member of the Public Accounts Committee among several Parliamentary Consultative Committees.

Controversy

Following his appointment as Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government, Musthapha identified numerous flaws in the Delimitation Report, which was to be the basis on which the forthcoming local government elections were to be conducted according to the Local Authorities (Amendment) Act 2012. He postponed the local government elections indefinitely until the delimitation report was rectified, although it was beyond the legally permitted term. He defended his decision stating that the original delimitation report was designed to the whims and fancies of the previous government and would have resulted in a mockery of the democratic process if remedial action was not taken. However, this decision received much criticism from citizens and politicians alike.

References

References

1. LTD, Lankacom PVT. "The Island".
2. "Horton Plains, Knuckles Range, Peak Wilderness inscribed as world Heritage Sites".
3. Srinivasan, Meera. (2015-01-01). "Deputy Minister in Rajapaksa govt. defects to Opposition". The Hindu.
4. "The Local Government Elections Must Restore Faith". Colombo Telegraph.