Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has directed a letter to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake regarding the abolition of pensions for Members of Parliament.
The letter was submitted in his capacity as the Patron of the Former Parliamentarians’ Caucus.
In the letter, Jayasuriya stated that at the time of Sri Lanka’s independence, politics was largely confined to an educated and wealthy land-owning elite, but that a major social transformation took place after 1956, allowing ordinary citizens to also participate in politics.
The former Speaker highlighted that under current circumstances, measures such as depriving MPs of their pensions would result in politics being restricted solely to the wealthy, businesspersons, individuals who earn money through illicit means, and affluent political parties. He further noted that this would prevent honest social workers from entering the political field.
The former Speaker further stated that while a small number of former MPs, including himself, use the pension for social and charitable activities, the majority depend on it for their livelihood.
Therefore, he has requested the President to pay attention to this issue and take appropriate steps, especially as the government moves toward drafting a new constitution in the future.
The Bill seeking to abolish pensions for Members of Parliament was presented to Parliament by the Minister of Justice and National Integration, Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara on January 7.
