Ranil seeks to fix pension anomaly for ex-Presidents

By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby CorrespondentPrime Minister and Minister for National Policies and Economic Affairs, Ranil Wickremesinghe will move a motion in Parliament on Saturday (28), increasing the pensions of former Sri Lankan Presidents from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 97,500 per month.

The surviving spouses of late Presidents will receive this increased monthly pension.

The motion will be based in terms of Paragraph (1) of Article 36 of the Constitution where the Parliament is authorised to determine the salary, allowances and pension entitlements of the holders of the office of President. 

 On 4 March 1986, Parliament by resolution determined the pension entitlement of former holders of presidential office should be a sum equivalent to the salary the President was entitled to receive immediately before he ceased to hold office.

 Following this principle, from  1988  onwards  the  pensions  paid  to  the  former Presidents namely J.R. Jayewardene, D.B. Wijethunga, Hema Premadasa, the widow of  the former President R. Premadasa and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga received Rs.25,000 per month which was equivalent to the salary of the President as decided by Parliament.

However in November 2006, the Rajapaksa administration increased the monthly salary of President Mahinda Rajapaksa from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 97,500 by Administrative Circular with effect from July 2006.

 Remunerations or allowances paid to ministers and Members of Parliament were also revised at the same time. 

Coinciding with the revision of remunerations or allowances paid to the ministers and the Members of Parliament, pensions of former Ministers and Members of Parliament too were revised.

According to the Premier’s motion, only the pension paid to the former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga had not been revised in keeping with the salary revision of the President. In considering the pension entitlement of Rs. 97,500 paid to the former President Mahinda  Rajapaksa  as  a  result  of  the  aforementioned  salary revision,  an anomaly has arisen in respect of the pension entitlement of the former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga who is receiving a monthly pension of Rs. 25,000 at present.

 Hema Premadasa and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga will enjoy an increased pension of Rs. 97,000 with effect from 1 January 2016 if the Parliament passes this motion, which has already received Cabinet approval.