Sri Lanka’s left-leaning government has ordered former presidents, including the influential Rajapaksa brothers, to immediately vacate luxurious government-owned bungalows as part of a new austerity initiative.
Information Minister Nalinda Jayatissa announced that these stately homes would be repurposed as boutique hotels or museums, aiming to generate revenue.
Instead of government housing, former leaders will receive a monthly rent allowance of $107, as stipulated under a 1986 law.
Jayatissa highlighted that former president Mahinda Rajapaksa currently resides in a government property valued at $16,500 (4.6 million rupees) per month, exceeding his official entitlement by over 150 times.
“The government will no longer provide housing for ex-presidents or their widows,” Jayatissa stated. “They will instead receive a rent allowance equivalent to one-third of their pension, amounting to 30,000 rupees.”
Mahinda Rajapaksa has yet to respond publicly, but local reports suggest he is prepared to leave if provided with formal notice.
Jayatissa clarified that the public announcement serves as sufficient notice for him to vacate immediately.
Reports indicate that Rajapaksa, during his tenure as prime minister in 2021, spent approximately 800 million rupees refurbishing his current residence.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who stepped down as president in July 2022 following allegations of economic mismanagement, also occupies a state mansion.
Two other former presidents, Chandrika Kumaratunga and Maithripala Sirisena, currently reside in government-owned housing located in Colombo’s prestigious diplomatic area.
Many of these colonial-era homes were originally constructed for high-ranking British officials.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who assumed office in September, pledged to tackle corruption. His administration reduced security allocations for former leaders last month, reportedly saving taxpayers over 1.2 billion rupees ($4.3 million) annually.
The Rajapaksa brothers alone incurred security costs of 1.017 billion rupees ($3.63 million) last year.
The Rajapaksas dominated Sri Lankan politics from 2005 to 2015 and again from November 2019 until July 2022. Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s presidency ended during Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis, marked by dwindling foreign reserves and critical shortages of food, fuel, and medicine.
The government has now capped security for all former leaders at a maximum of 60 personnel since late December.
