AKD intends to abolish duty free ‘privilege’ for MPs altogether

By Shamindra Ferdinando

For the first time since the introduction of duty-free vehicle permit scheme for parliamentarians by the country’s first executive President J.R. Jayewardene, following the 1977 general election, current MPs would not be entitled to that privilege, political sources said.

They said so when The Island sought a clarification regarding last minute issuance of duty-free permits before the dissolution of Parliament.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday declared, in response to a media query, that dissolution of Parliament would take place in a day or two.

An MP representing the Gampaha District said that though a group of MPs had sought Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena’s intervention during Ranil Wickremesinghe tenure as President, their request had gone unheeded.

Acknowledging that the dissolution of Parliament was imminent, Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapaksha said the member of the current Parliament wouldn’t receive duty-free vehicle permits.

Parliamentary sources said that though President Wickremesinghe’s government had declared that the ban imposed on vehicle imports would be lifted, it remained mum on the issuance of duty-free vehicle permits to MPs.

Dissanayake, in his presidential election manifesto assured the electorate that his administration would do away with the duty free car permit scheme. The JVP, too, benefited from this scheme though the party never sold permits received by its members.

Sources said that in line with the overall NPP policy, Dissanayake has vowed to abolish pensions granted to former Presidents and ex-parliamentarians. The former JVP MPs continue to receive their pension to this date.

During the Yahapalanaya, Attorney-at-Law and public litigation activist Nagananada Kodituwakku moved court against the abusing of duty-free car permit scheme by MPs.

Information obtained from Customs in terms of RTI Law revealed that super luxury vehicles imported by parliamentarians were transferred to third parties before being cleared.