Government behind Kalmunai uniform controversy: Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam

23-Aug-2026

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If Muslim female health workers cannot work at the Kalmunai North Base Hospital wearing culturally appropriate attire under the relevant circular, how can they work at the Kalmunai Ashraff Memorial Hospital under the same circular? Therefore, there is a suspicion that the Government itself is behind the uniform controversy, Tamil National People’s Front leader and Jaffna District MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam said.

He made these remarks while speaking during the parliamentary debate on the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children (Amendment) Bill on August 20, 2026.

He further said:

“The denial of permission to Muslim female healthcare assistants to work at Kalmunai North Base Hospital on the basis of the uniform issue is condemnable. Respect for the cultural and religious identities of a community is a fundamental aspect of human rights.

“The Government has a responsibility to intervene directly in this issue, which has been a subject of discussion for the past two weeks. This issue has arisen because of a circular. If Muslim female healthcare assistants cannot work at Kalmunai Hospital wearing culturally appropriate attire under the circular, how can they work at Kalmunai Ashraff Hospital under the same circular?

“Therefore, there is a suspicion that the Government may be behind this clothing controversy as part of a plan to create conflict between the two communities. If that is not the case, the nine Muslim female healthcare assistants should be allowed to work at Kalmunai Hospital. It should be announced that they may work while wearing their cultural attire.

“Tamils are people who respect religious and cultural traditions. Therefore, the Kalmunai hospital uniform controversy must be brought to an end. At the same time, the Muslim community should also understand our concerns regarding the appointment of an accountant to the Kalmunai North Divisional Secretariat,” he said.