Supreme Court approval for the abolition of the MP's pension - can be passed by a 1/2 majority in Parliament

The Speaker officially informed Parliament today (06) of the Supreme Court's decision that the 'Parliamentary Pensions (Abolition)' Bill, presented by the government to abolish pensions for former Members of Parliament, is not inconsistent with the Constitution of Sri Lanka. The Supreme Court reached this decision after hearing petitions filed challenging the bill under Article 121(1) of the Constitution.

The Speaker stated in Parliament that the court has determined that no provision contained in the relevant bill is inconsistent with the Constitution. Accordingly, the Supreme Court has informed Parliament that a special majority in Parliament or a referendum is not required to enact this bill into law, and it can be passed by a simple majority vote.

As per the Speaker's order, this full decision of the Supreme Court is scheduled to be printed in today's Hansard report, and through this bill, the legal foundation will be laid to abolish the MP pension scheme, which has been a subject of intense discussion and criticism in the country's political sphere. While a regular public servant requires a long service period of 10 to 20 years to qualify for pension rights, the entitlement of Members of Parliament to lifetime pensions after a short five-year term has been a matter of severe public criticism.

With the Supreme Court's approval, the government now has the opportunity to debate and pass this bill for its second reading in Parliament. With the implementation of this new law, both future Members of Parliament and those currently representing Parliament will not be entitled to pension rights at the end of their term, and the pension privilege previously granted after a 5-year service period under the old law will be completely abolished.