A bold new move by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake targets former presidents and their widows, proposing to strip away decades-old entitlements like houses, pensions, and transport. If passed, the controversial bill will end luxurious state-funded benefits for ex-leaders, including Mahinda Rajapaksa, Chandrika Kumaratunga, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and others.
The government is moving ahead with a long-promised reform that could cut off decades of lavish benefits for retired presidents and their families. A new bill, proposed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s administration, aims to repeal the entitlements previously granted under the Presidents’ Entitlements Act No. 4 of 1986.
During the last presidential election, the National People’s Force pledged to end excessive privileges enjoyed by former presidents and Members of Parliament. Now in power, the President has moved quickly to fulfill that promise, presenting a Cabinet proposal to eliminate these benefits. A special committee was formed to decide the necessary legal action, and Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has now gazetted the draft legislation titled the Presidents’ Entitlements (Repeal) Bill.
The Bill, to be presented in Parliament, will completely repeal the original 1986 law and strip away a range of state-funded benefits provided to former heads of state and their widows. According to the draft, the following entitlements will be terminated once the new law is enacted:
• State-provided housing or housing allowances
• Monthly pensions for the widows of former presidents
• Secretarial allowances, official transport, and related facilities for retired presidents and their widows
If passed, this sweeping legislation would directly impact all surviving former heads of state, including Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maithripala Sirisena, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and Ranil Wickremesinghe.
In addition, Hema Premadasa, the widow of Sri Lanka’s second Executive President, Ranasinghe Premadasa would also lose her state-funded privileges. Other former leaders, such as J.R. Jayewardene and D.B. Wijetunga, are deceased, and their widows have also passed away, making the bill’s impact focused on current beneficiaries.
This move is expected to ignite heated debate, particularly among political circles that have long enjoyed state-sponsored luxuries post-retirement. However, the ruling party defends the bill as a long-overdue measure to reduce public spending and eliminate unnecessary privileges that no longer serve the people.
As the bill heads to Parliament, all eyes are on how lawmakers will respond to this unprecedented rollback of political entitlements, one that could permanently change how Sri Lanka treats its former leaders.
