Govt., Opposition throw punches in Parliament over pensions

Friday, 20 June 2014 00:45 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Ashwin Hemmathagama Our Lobby Correspondent The main Opposition UNP yesterday charged in Parliament that “mismanagement and financial imprudence” by the Government has deprived over 400,000 retired public workers from receiving their pensions and gratuities for over a period of two years. Moving the adjournment debate yesterday, UNP MP Sajith Premadasa rapped the Government for not taking necessary action to protect public sector workers and their future benefits, which will help stimulate the system to be productive and result-oriented. According to Prem-adasa, the Government has failed its duty where as moneys are spent on unnecessary projects, mostly on image building. “There is money to waste constructing the Lotus Tower and reclaim lands and build islands among many other unnecessary projects. The Government has failed to provide what is promised in the Mahinda Chinthana political manifesto. Having wasted most of the resources, they have now started tapping the pension funds,” he said. Highlighting the disadvantages of the circular 4-2014, which converts the pension gratuity into a bank loan, MP Premadasa said: “This circular prevent the retired from getting what they were entitled to before. From last year’s budget Rs. 15 billion was allocated in 2014 for pensions. This was for payments due to 18,000 pensioners. Where have you spent this money? Did the money evaporate? You need to revoke the 4/2014 circular and issue new circular. Make these payments without further delays. Rs. 9 billion is required to pay the pension gratuity. It is necessary to issue a new circular.” Seconding the motion UNP MP Ranjith Maddumabandara said: “This Government has robbed pensions and gratuities. When this motion is taken for debate none of the government officers are in the respective boxes in the House. Where are the Commissioners and the Department Heads? I think the Minister should apologise for letting down the House. The Government has continued to increase the allocations for the President. Why do you want to build a Lotus Tower, which is to be the highest telco tower in Asia? What is the purpose of having such tall tower with an observation deck and a restaurant? We stress the importance of increasing the salaries of public servants according to the cost of living, rather than continuing to rob them in different ways.” In response Minister of International Monetary Co-operation and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Sarath Amunugama said: “I have a Budget speech prepared by Choksy during the UNP Government where you have proposed the new public employees to allocate 8% of their salaries for a contributory pension scheme. The entire country went against it. There are two aspects. Your concept is that both government and the public servants contribute to a pension. But our concept is a non-contributory pension scheme. Adding more to it you have issued circulars to abolish unfilled job vacancies and to get rid of redundant employees. This is the reason why you could not provide a single employment during your government.” According to Minister of Disaster Management Mahinda Amaraweera, if not for the UPFA the public service will not exist today. “We can remember how ‘Regaining Sri Lanka’ started to shrink the public service. A controversial circular known as number 16 was used to cancel certain posts once the workers retire. Not only that they have stopped recruiting people. Many state ventures were privatised – SriLankan Airlines, Sri Lanka Insurance, CWE, and the gas company. Water Board, CEB, and state banks at the faced been privatised at the time we took over,” said Minister Amaraweera. Opposition lawmaker Sunil Handunnetti who disagreed with the Ministers stated that losing the pension gratuity and converting it into a bank loan is a problem for all other than the Members of the Parliament. “Sri Lanka is the only country, which provides the members of Parliament a pension after five years. If President instructed to stop the unfair pension circular, we need to have a new circular. The pension gratuity, which is now converted into a bank loan helped people to start anew after retiring. This is not applicable to a few who stole government money while in service and those who get a pension being a MP for five years,” said MP Handunnetti.

Term of Select Committee on national question extended

Period of the Select Committee appointed to recommend and report political and constitutional measures required to empower the peoples of Sri Lanka to live as one nation was extended yesterday by six months. Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management and the Leader of the House of Parliament Nimal Siripala de Silva moved the motion, which sought approval to set the new deadline to 21st December 2014. According to the motion the committee was appointed by Speaker Chamal Rajapakse was unable to report its findings to Parliament within the time limit granted by the motion agreed to by the Parliament on 23rd November 2011. (AH)