Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has submitted a motion to the Committee on Parliamentary Affairs to increase the monthly allowance of Members of Parliament and to provide an insurance cover of one million rupees per Member of Parliament. The proposal has been made in a manner that will affect retired MPs as well.
It is reported that the Committee on Parliamentary Affairs has approved the proposal.
The previous two governments had not taken any action to increase the allowances of the Members of Parliament and that he had been requested to increase the allowances states the Speaker.
It is learned that a proposal to increase the allowances of Members of Parliament in line with the salaries of Judges of the Judiciary had been tabled in Parliament on 23 November 2006 by Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, a former Chief Government Whip. The allowances of the MPs would be increased accordingly.
However, such allowances have to be increased in accordance with Article 68 (1) of the Constitution by a resolution of Parliament.
The increase in the salaries of judges is also done by a resolution of Parliament under Article 108 (1) of the Constitution.
When Lakshman Kiriella, who was the Leader of the House during the ‘Yahapalana’ government proposed to increase the allowances of the Members of Parliament, the Opposition opposed the proposal sstating it was not an opportunity to increase the allowances of the MPs.
Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella, who was present at the PSC meeting when the motion to increase allowances for Members of Parliament was tabled this time, recalled that the Opposition had opposed his proposal to increase the allowances of Members of Parliament during the previous government. It is reported that the members were silent as they were in favor of the resolution this time.
Those who were present at the meeting that approved the proposal were the
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena, Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella, Chamal Rajapaksa, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Prof. GL Peiris, Dallas Alahapperuma, Mahinda Amaraweera, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Prasanna Ranatunga, Gayantha Karunatilake, Rauf Hakeem, Dilan Perera, Rishad Bathiudeen, RM Ranjith Maddumabandara and Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka.
