Pay the rent or vacate Wijerama house-
AKD comes down hard on MR

• Reaffirms commitment to reducing perks and benefits to former presidents    

By Kelum Bandara 

In one of his latest series of public addresses, apparently  ahead of the pending elections to the local authorities, President  Anura Kumara Dissanayake renewed his pledge for the curtailment of perks  and benefits to the former Presidents.  

He said former President Mahinda Rajapaksa could occupy his  Wijerama residence only by paying its monthly rent of Rs. 4.6 million.   

“According to the government valuation, the monthly rent of  the Wijerama Mawatha house assigned to Mr. Rajapaksa is Rs.4.6 million.  We have not done any valuation on the land on which that house is  located. The rent for the house alone is estimated at Rs.4.6 million,”  he said.   

Quoting the Act that provides for the determination of perks  and benefits of the former presidents, he said the government should  assign any former head of state a house or a monthly rent which is only  one-third of his salary at the time in office.  

“Then, it amounts to only Rs.30, 000 a month. We can make  this payment. The rest of the rent value should be paid by him. Or else, he  is free to vacate it,” the President said.   

If MR keeps grumbling any further, even the remaining security will be withdrawn,” the President asserted

He said that even any minister of his government would not  be given housing facilities, and the presidential palaces at the provincial  level would be used for other purposes such as tourism or to run as  educational centres or museums.  

“Temple Trees, the President’s House in Colombo and the Presidential House in Kandy which is of historical value will continue  to remain as they are,” he said.  

Referring to the security details of the former presidents,  he said only 60 personnel had been assigned to Mr. Rajapaksa at the  moment.   

“If he keeps grumbling any further, even that security will be withdrawn,” the President asserted.   

He said Rs. 700 million had been spent annually for the  provision of security to the former Presidents in the past. He said a  large number of personnel had been deployed to provide security to them  despite the Police Department struggling with a dearth of 21,000  officers to discharge duties.       

Anura has forgotten 
I am Mahinda Rajapaksa- Ready to vacate at any time, 
MR hits back hard at AKD

• I have seen it all. From political revenge to harassment,  if the President feels my state house should be taken away from me,  then I am ready to leave. Let him give me a written request  

By JAMILA HUSAIN  

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said he is  ready to vacate his official residence in Colombo at any time and  requested the President to send him a written official request rather  than going on public stages and attempting to attract publicity for  himself.  

Speaking to the Daily Mirror just a day after President  Dissanayake made a public speech, asking Rajapaksa to vacate his  official residence or pay a rent of Rs.4.6 million monthly for it, the  former President said that his official residence was given to him  following a cabinet decision during Maithripala Sirisena’s tenure, and  it was given to him for his protection and as a former head of state  which he was constitutionally entitled to.  However, he said that if the President benefitted from his  departure from the premises, he was willing to vacate it as he did not  keep anything by force. He also reminded Dissanayake that although he is  now a Head of State, his behaviour was nothing more than a politician  who was in the opposition.  

“President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is forgetting I am  Mahinda Rajapaksa. While his talks are good for the gallery and to  mislead the citizens as he did on his false election promises, I would  like to inform the President that I am willing to vacate my official  residence if he sends me a written request. I received this residence in  Wijerama Mawatha after a cabinet paper was approved under former  President Maithripala Sirisena and as a President who led the country  for 10 years at the most brutal times,” Rajapaksa said.  

Rajapaksa also said that instead of providing relief to the  common man, President Dissanayake was more involved in his PR stunts  and going on stage, unleashing words to criticise the former Presidents  by taking away their security and houses, just to play to the gallery to  avoid talking of his own failures.   

I was given this house as I was constitutionally  entitled to it

“I am a politician and leader who always worked for the  nation. From ending the war to bringing in development, today the  country is benefitting from the development which I brought in during my  tenure as the President. My successors criticised my efforts to end  the war and the development projects I signed. Some even resorted to  halting these projects, which severely hampered investor confidence,”  Rajapaksa said.   

“I have seen it all, from political revenge to harassment.  If President Dissanayake feels my state house should be taken away from  me, then I am ready to leave. Nothing has been kept by force. Let him  send me an official request,” he said.