…flays govt. for diverting members’ salaries to a special account

by Shamindra Ferdinando

Having repeatedly accused previous governments of showering perks and privileges on lawmakers, the newly elected NPP government is continuing with the practice, says SJB MP Ajith P. Perera.

Kalutara District SJB leader Perera has challenged the NPP to reveal any perk or privilege that their parliamentary group had decided to forgo in keeping with the pledges they made during the presidential and parliamentary elections. Perera said so in response to The Island queries regarding the ongoing exchange between the NPP and the main Opposition SJB over perks and privileges enjoyed by members.

Referring to a statement Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera made during a recent press briefing held in parliament, Perera pointed out that the NPP leaders had harped on waste of state funds on maintaining lawmakers. But the Secretary General categorically had declared that none of the MPs’ perks and privileges had been done away with, Perera said.

A vast majority of those who voted for the NPP at presidential and parliamentary elections had expected the NPP MPs to serve on a voluntary basis and refuse heavily subsidised meals provided in parliament, etc., the Kalutara District MP said.

The NPP won 159 seats, including 18 National List slots whereas the SJB managed to secure only 40; it had 54 seats in the previous Parliament.

Recalling that the JVP used to claim that salaries of its MPs had been directed to one account and allocations made thereafter depending on members’ requirements, Perera asked whether the ruling party with 2/3 majority in parliament could do the same.

Ajith

Responding to another query, Perera said that the practice adopted by the NPP meant that public funds were to be transferred to an account maintained by a political party. The party would be receiving quite a large amount of money as the monthly take home salary of an MP was approximately Rs 300,000 though the basic salary remained Rs. 54,285.

MP Perera said that NPP’s promise to do away with what it called a privileged class of politicians had boomeranged on the ruling party. “People have already realised that the NPP never meant to implement what it promised,” MP Perera said.

Those who questioned the maintenance of the MPs’ housing scheme at Madiwela should know that the NPP MPs would use them, MP Perera said.

The NPP had the public believe that their MPs would not occupy the Madiwela houses, Perera said.

Out the 108 Madiwela housing units, 80 have been allocated to NPP MPs and 28 to Opposition members. MP Perera said that he was not aware of the exact allocation but knew that houses had been allocated to the NPP MPs.

MPs living 40 km away from parliament are entitled to the Madiwela houses. Although the Madiwela complex consists of 115 units, 0nly 108 are available for the MPs as seven of them have been allocated to the police, fire brigade and other services providers.

Perera said that the forthcoming Local Government election would provide an opportunity to the electorate to express their dissatisfaction at the NPP’s broken promises. He said that the reduction of Octane 92 petrol by Rs 2 a litre in the recent price revision had exposed the duplicity of the ruling party again. The NPP had also failed to grant electricity consumers the promised relief, he said.

Our efforts to contact JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva, NPP General Secretary Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe, MP, and Cabinet spokesman and media minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa for comment failed as they did not answer their phones.