Sri Lanka President says “NO” increase of salaries for Ministers and MPs

Aug 07, 2018 (LBO) - President Maithripala Sirisena says even though the Sunday newspapers published that the decision was made to increase the salaries of the Ministers and MPs by the consent of all the party leaders, it should be submitted to the cabinet and that he would never allow it to be approved. President Sirisena said during the past three years, the government has taken steps to increase the salaries and allowances of Ministers and Members of Parliament several times and that he had firmly rejected proposals to increase his salary as the President himself.





He further noted that it is not appropriate to increase the salaries of the ministers and MPs at the present time when the government is trying to find solutions for many problems, including the rising cost of living. The President made these remarks participating in an event to open the Pibidemu Polonnaruwa shopping complex at the Hospital Junction, Polonnaruwa, recently.







The new shopping complex was built at a cost of 64 million rupees to replace the shops demolished to construct the new four-lane road in the Polonnaruwa town.



Polonnaruwa Mayor Chanaka Ranasinghe, Chairman of the Thamankaduwa Pradeshiya Sabha Premasiri Munasinghe and the Chairman the Trade community Aruna Basnayaka and others were present at the opening ceremony. Earlier last week - the Finance Minister also denied the claim and said that such a request had not yet been made by any parties and that it had also not come to the cabinet yet for approval.