The Hon. Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi
Hon. Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi said the Motion was part of a long-running effort to challenge unlawful privileges in public office, recalling his experience in local government since 1997. He argued that certain local authority positions, including “Leader of the Opposition,” have been used to claim benefits without legal basis. He stated that newly constituted local authorities should not be allowed to violate the law to obtain such privileges.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, this Motion arises from a history. The public debate did not emerge by accident—we worked to bring it forth. Since 1997 when I was elected to the Kesbewa Pradeshiya Sabha, we have pushed back against the culture of undue privilege, even petty symbols—like denying me even a water glass on my first day due to fear from traditional parties. Our struggle is against unlawfully enjoyed privileges at every level—local authorities to Parliament.
¶ 02 Even now, in some local bodies, posts like “Leader of the Opposition” are being used to claim benefits without legal basis. We will not allow any newly constituted local authority to violate the law to draw such privileges. We have changed this culture and will maintain it.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Friday, 9 May 2025 ·No. 1748600585013314 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 9 May 2025. No. 1748600585013314. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/24746