Bonanza for MPs – This “Yahapalana fraud” must be stopped forthwith

The following statement issued by the DecentLanka 2015, a Colombo based Civil Society group

( March 14, 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) This weekend’s mainstream media reports, political party leaders in parliament had decided on an unbelievable economic package for the benefit of all 225 members of parliament (MPs). Over and above all the monetary and other benefits and privileges presently enjoyedby MPs, this proposed package includes a monthly addition of Rs.175,000 for rent, telephones and an office. Calculated for 225 MPs this totals to Rs.39.4 million per month. For a year it would thus be Rs.472.8 million, over and above the billions paid for maintaining these MPs at present. Added are allowances of Rs.2,000 proposed for a sitting in the Constitutional Assembly and Rs.4,000 per sitting in the newly established Oversight Committees. Let us stress that all these are public funds and no small money to play with.

To begin with let us note, the first and the most important responsibility and duty of all members elected to parliament on a people’s vote and those nominated accordingly from the nationalist list, is to participate in all discussions and debates in the House and to vote at every resolution and bill that comes up in parliament. That is a political responsibility of every elected MP as representatives of the people, for which the voter does not have to pay MPs for. We firmly believe, those who cannot take up that responsibility should not contest elections to enter parliament.

Yet on their own decisions, they have by now accrued monetary benefits and privileges more
than what they actually deserve. Even after the war was declared over in May 2009, they are
still provided armed security at the cost of public money. Decided by them alone, they also
enjoy a duty free vehicle import permit every 05 years. The proposed package would now
make them a special breed of State employees on a pensionable salary with extraordinary
privileges and luxury status.

This “Yahapalana” government may have their own agenda to molly coddle MPs this way.
But let us say quite emphatically, that is no public necessity. Moving amendments to taxes
and levies from what PM Wickramasinghe said in parliament on 08 March (2016), even after
14 months this government is incapable of calculating the total debt accrued during the
Rajapaksa regime. He said it could be well over 09.5 trillion rupees. Whoever faulted and
whoever is accused for fraud and corruption, this government came to power promising to
rectify all that and to put the economy in order. Therefore this government has no moral right
or financial responsibility now to propose further benefits and privileges to MPs but to axe
out what’s already in excess.

There is yet another very important issue we wish to stress here. As we see, there is
absolutely no necessity to provide office facilities for MPs and to incur Rs.16.9 million per
month for their offices. This awfully distorted “need” for MP’s offices was first mentioned by
PM Wickramasinghe when he proposed his Village Development Centre (Grama Sanvardana
Kendra) programme. MPs are elected as legislators. They have to remain as legislators only
and should not be allowed to get involved in village development activities. There is a whole
network of State offices manned by public officers from the Grama Seva Niladhari (GSN),
the Samurdhi officers right up to the Divisional Secretary working with the District
Secretariat, all paid for by public funds. There is also a devolved provincial governing
system, again funded by the public that needs to be strengthened. MPs from the central
government getting into local development will politicise the whole local and provincial life.
Added is the fact that allowing legislators to become managers handling finances leads to
nothing but corruption.

None of the proposed monetary benefits to MPs have any relation to “Yahapalanaya” (Good governance). This is total and crude exploitation of people’s aspirations. Of people who voted at the two past elections. We therefore condemn and oppose this proposed “Yahapalana bonanza” for MPs and demand it be completely dropped, forthwith.

Signatories ;
Attorney at law Neville Ananda
Attorney at Law Sujeewa Dahanayake
Social activist Muditha Karunamuni
Journalist Kusal Perera
Trade union leader Anton Marcus
Attorney at law Srinath Perera
Public interest activist Amrit Muttukumaru
Srinath Perera President’s Counsel

Contacts –
Attorney at law Neville Ananda – 0777876811
Attorney at Law Sujeewa Dahanayake – 0777324062