71 ex-MPs to miss out on pension

The sudden dissolution of the Sri Lankan Parliament means that over 70 of its former members are not entitled to the pension scheme provided members who have served the Legislature for a certain period.

This is due to the parliamentary pension law stating that only a person who has served as a Member of the Legislature for a minimum period of five years in the aggregate shall be entitled to monthly payment of a pension.

Accordingly 45 MPs of the United National Party (UNP), 17 from the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), 8 MPs of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and a member of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will miss out on the parliamentary pension.

S.M. Marikkar, Hirunika Premachandra, Chathura Senaratne, Mayantha Dissanayake, Ananda Aluthgamage, Ranjith Aluwihare, Bandulala Bandarigoda, Daya Gamage, J.C. Alawathuwala, Nalin Bandara, Hector Appuhamy, Chandima Gamage, Chaminda Wijesiri, Hesha Withanage, Karunaratne Paranavithana, Jayampathi Wickramaratne, Ashu Marasinghe as well as Ashoka Priyantha, who recently crossed over to the government and accepted the ministerial portfolio, are among the 45 UNP MPs to lose their pension. 

Meanwhile the UPFA’s Udaya Gammanpila, Prasanna Ranatunga, Prasanna Ranaweera, NImal Lansa, Sisira Jayakody, Piyal Nishantha, Anuradha Jayaratne, Niroshan Premaratne, D.V. Chanaka, Sanath Nishantha and Malith Jayathilaka are among the 17 ex-parliamentarians expected to be ineligible to receive the pension.

Nalinda Jayatissa of the JVP will also not receive a pension.