Rauff Hakeem

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]

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]

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

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]