The Government’s move to strip former Presidents of their official privileges is an act of political revenge rather than a matter of genuine policy reform, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.
“The greatest privilege that we had was what the people gave us. As long as that exists, there’s no issue if any official privilege is taken away,” Rajapaksa told journalists following an event in Colombo.
He added a personal note when asked about his preferred residence, saying, “I’ll pick Medamulana over Wijerama any day.”
The former president’s comments come in the wake of the gazetting of the Presidents’ Entitlements (Repeal) Bill on 31 July, a move that seeks to repeal the Presidents’ Entitlements Act of 1986, effectively ending various perks for former Presidents and their widows.
Last month, the Cabinet also approved the repeal of the Parliamentary Pensions Law of 1977, signaling a broader rollback of privileges for former Parliamentarians as well.
The Government has maintained that the reforms are part of a wider cost-cutting and governance overhaul, though critics argue the motivations may be more political than principled.
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