The Retired Members of Parliament Association has announced that it will launch a massive protest next week against the government’s decision to abolish parliamentary pensions, according to its secretary, former JVP MP Pemasiri Manage.
Last week, the association lodged complaints with three international organisations — the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, the International Commission of Jurists, and the European Parliamentary Assembly — as well as with the Indian government, opposing the pension abolition. They also sent a letter outlining their grievances directly to the President.
Manage said that if pensions are officially revoked, former MPs from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will take legal action to recover their parliamentary salaries. He described the abolition of pensions as a fatal blow to democracy and warned that after targeting the privileges of former presidents and MPs, the government could next target public servants.
He further revealed plans to challenge the decision in court, focusing on unresolved legal issues surrounding the retrospective application of the law.
