Minister of Justice and Leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Rauff Hakeem said his party would not take 'positions' or 'privileges' into consideration when making decisions on the presidential election.

Addressing a public meeting in Potuvil, Hakeem had said the present government had done nothing for the Muslims of Sri Lanka. 

"We will only think about the Muslim community of the country when making a decision," Hakeem said just months ahead of the presidential election. There are many speculations in the media that the leadership of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress is under heavy pressure from its members to step out of the government and remain as a 'pressure group' in Parliament. 

Despite such demands, the SLMC still remains as a stakeholder of the UPFA government.

The unresolved issues between the government and the SLMC reached a new height in the aftermath of violent clashes which broke out between Sinhalese groups and Muslims in the mid June, this year.

Following the incident, Hakeem said he was 'ashamed' to function as a minister of the UPFA government. However, speaking to media in the Middle East last week, the SLMC Leader said his party was yet to make a decision on the presidential election.