A group of former parliamentarians of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) have warned they will resort to legal action if the government moves ahead with plans to abolish pensions for retired MPs.
Premasiri Manage, former JVP MP for the Matara District and Secretary of the Association of Retired Parliamentarians, said that if the government cancels pension entitlements, they would pursue legal avenues to reclaim what he termed “illegally and forcefully withheld” compensation from the state.
Speaking to media, Manage claimed that nearly 30 former JVP parliamentarians are currently entitled to pension payments, and that any effort to revoke these entitlements would be “grossly unjust,” particularly for those who left government service to enter politics.
Former MP Premasiri Manage further highlighted that if the government does not provide a solution to this problem, they intend to file a complaint with the Geneva Human Rights Commission and the International Parliamentary Union. “Approximately 50 retired MPs gave up secure public sector careers for politics. Stripping them of their pensions now would be a serious violation of their rights,” he stated.
Manage added that if no resolution is provided domestically, the matter could be escalated to international bodies. “We are prepared to file complaints with the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva and the Inter-Parliamentary Union,” he said.
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