Govt Quietly Drops Promise to End Pensions for Former Presidents

 

Behind Closed Doors: RTI Request Reveals Silent Policy Reversal

A document obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act shows that the government has quietly removed its commitment to abolish pensions and privileges for retired presidents and their families from the Justice Ministry’s official action plan.

Election Promise Reversed

In March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s office issued a directive adopting the National People’s Power manifesto—“A thriving nation, a beautiful life”—as official government policy. But while ministries reviewed and revised their commitments, the Justice Ministry marked a crucial pledge for deletion: the proposal to scrap pensions and special perks for former heads of state.

Hidden in Plain Sight

The changes were included in an annex that accompanied the circular but was not made public. The Sunday Times obtained this document via an RTI application, revealing that several policy promises had been silently dropped.

Privileges Intact: Legal and Political Barriers

Constitutional Constraints

A committee appointed earlier this year reportedly found that certain benefits for former presidents are constitutionally protected and cannot be revoked without a constitutional amendment.

Under Article 36(2), a president’s pension is guaranteed, and any future legal change “shall not have retrospective operation.”

Moreover, Article 36(4) explicitly bars Parliament from reducing presidential pensions—though increases are allowed.

No Change for the Powerful

This means that even if the government wished to act on its initial pledge, it would face significant legal and legislative hurdles—a reality that may have prompted the quiet reversal.

Deleted: Migrant Voting Rights

Also removed from the action plan was a promise to safeguard the voting rights of citizens working abroad or relocating for employment—a move critics say contradicts the government’s reformist narrative.

Retained: Abolishing Executive Presidency

Still listed in the Justice Ministry’s plan is a pledge to eliminate the executive presidency and appoint a non-executive president through Parliament—a key reform platform of the ruling party.

Transparency at a Crossroads

Though President Dissanayake’s administration has branded itself as reform-minded and people-focused, the deletion of high-profile promises—especially those impacting the privileges of the political elite—raises fresh questions about political will, transparency, and constitutional reform.

As public scrutiny intensifies, this quiet rollback may become a litmus test for how far the government is willing to go in challenging entrenched privilege—even when it begins with its promises.