KMCC urges State government to replace Loka Kerala Sabha with new diaspora forum

The World Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC), an expatriate organisation affiliated with the Indian Union Muslim League, has urged the State government to create a transparent alternative to the Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS), the annual diaspora platform set up by the previous Left Democratic Front government.

Speaking to the media on Monday, KMCC president K.P. Mohammed Kutty and other office-bearers said the government should have consulted expatriate organisations before deciding to discontinue the LKS in its present form. They, however, made clear that they were not challenging the government's policy decisions on the matter.

The KMCC leaders said the previous LDF government could have used the LKS for political propaganda. They argued that the platform was never an executive agency but only a space for expatriates to exchange ideas and coordinate among themselves, and that judging it by the standards applied to a government department or an executing body would be unfair.

Implementation of the proposals raised at LKS sessions rested with government departments and agencies such as NORKA ROOTS, they noted. Mr. Mohammed Kutty said any financial lapses or mistakes in the conduct of the LKS should be corrected rather than used as grounds to wind up a platform that connected lakhs of Malayalis, especially without offering a replacement.

KMCC vice-president C.V.M. Vanimel suggested that the government establish a permanent annual forum where expatriates could meet, discuss ideas and put forward investment proposals for the State's future development. Such an event, he said, should be held simply and without pomp. The organisation plans to meet Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan soon to raise its concerns.