Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya told Parliament that the government has demonstrated public service can be conducted without burdening taxpayers.
She made this statement while revealing foreign travel expenses incurred by former presidents from 2010 to 2024, highlighting a stark contrast in spending under different administrations:
2010 – 2014 Mahinda Rajapaksa: Rs. 3,572 million
2015 – 2019 Maithripala Sirisena: Rs. 384 million
2020 – 2022 Gotabaya Rajapaksa: Rs. 126 million
2023 – 2024 Ranil Wickremesinghe: Rs. 533 million
2024 Sep – 2025 Feb Anura Kumara Dissanayake: Rs. 1.8 million
Amarasuriya said that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s administration has significantly reduced spending, with only Rs. 1.8 million used for foreign travel in five months.
“We were asked not to be symbolic, but to show through action, not just words. Here, we have done exactly that,” the Premier said.
She also noted that the highest annual expenditure was recorded in 2013 under Mahinda Rajapaksa, amounting to Rs. 1,144 million in a single year. (Islandnews)
