Govt. asserts President, PM will not allow MP salary hike

• Deputy Minister says President and Prime Minister will not permit an increase in Parliamentarian salaries
• Claims those who earlier opposed are now in support of increment
• Says no final decision yet by Government on MP salary hike

By Skandha Gunasekara

The Government yesterday asserted that both President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would not allow a salary increase for Parliamentarians. 

Deputy Minister of Environment Ajith Mannapperuma, addressing a media briefing yesterday, said that neither the President nor the Premier would permit salary hike for MPs.

“I can tell you with utmost confidence and responsibility that President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would not allow the proposed salary increment for Parliamentarians,” the Deputy Minister said.

He charged that it had been those who had initially opposed such an increment currently advocating for the proposal in a salary hike for MPs.

“I could confirm that those who earlier opposed the move to increase salaries are the very same people who proposed it at the recent party leaders meeting,” he said, adding that no final decision had been taken by the Government on the matter. 

Referring to statements made by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa during yesterday’s Joint Opposition protest in Town Hall, the Minister accepted that the Government had so far been unable to penalise corrupt individuals.

“The former President was correct when he said the present Government had failed to penalise the corrupt. This is because there has been a delay in judicial procedures. The FCID has finalised more than 100 files on cases of corruption and handed them over to the Attorney General to file action, but there has been a delay,” he said.

Nevertheless, the Deputy Minister stressed that hearing of such cases would be fast-tracked though Trial at Bar.