The Hon. Dilith Jayaweera

## Summary Hon. Dilith Jayaweera argued that the NPP's pension-related proposal is politically motivated rather than driven by national interest, contending it is designed to punish former party members who left the JVP/NPP and lost access to party support machinery. He cited the case of former MP Pemasiri Manamge, who allegedly paid Rs. 6.7 million into party funds and now subsists on a Rs. 62,000 pension, arguing that adequate independent pension provisions would reduce corruption by ensuring MPs do not feel financially desperate. He also raised two separate concerns: firstly, that the government set a dangerous legal precedent by publicly linking a recently killed lawyer at Akuregoda to the underworld before any proof was established, calling on authorities to withdraw the statement; and secondly, that repeated public statements by the President and Prime Minister characterising Sri Lanka as a racist nation risk damaging the country's international image, particularly in the context of tourism promotion, and requested that any such claims be made with greater specificity.