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The President’s Entitlement (Repeal) Act and the curtailment of the privileges of former presidents have been a significant topic during the past few weeks on social media platforms. A series of viral posts claims that NPP MP Lakmali Hemachandra stated that laboratories for a thousand schools would be built with funds initially intended for former Presidents over the next year. Let’s look at the claim first.
Social Media Posts :
A social media featuring the Asian Mirror logo stated that MP Lakmali Hemachandra had issued a statement claiming, “With the money initially allocated for next year to spend on former presidents, we will build 1000 new technology laboratories for 1000 schools within a year.”
Another Facebook user posted the same social media post without the Asian Mirror logo as mentioned below.
It was also observed that many people have believed it to be true and have commented on it. We took steps to investigate the credibility of these posts.
Fact Check :
First, we investigated whether any mainstream media had reported that MP Lakmali Hemachandra had made such a statement. However, none of the mainstream media had reported on such news.
Fabricated post using the Asian Mirror!
We checked the Asian Mirror Facebook page (English) and noticed that the social media posts were similar in format to the English posts on the Asian Mirror. However, the said post cannot be seen on the Asian Mirror page.
The actual post published on October 10th was related to a statement made by the MP, “No Provision to Remove Fmr Presidents’ Security – Lakmali Hemachandra.” The post also included a link to the relevant news. Archived
Nowhere in that article is there a mention of the provision of new technology labs for 1000 schools within a year, with the money allocated for the former President’s expenditure next year.
The web article had actually reported about a statement made by MP Lakmali Hemachandra during a parliamentary session. You can refer to the complete statement here.
Accordingly, the viral post circulating on social media appears to be an edited version of a post published on the Asian Mirror Facebook page regarding the security of former presidents.
Response of the MP Lakmali Hemachandra
Meanwhile, we also inquired with MP Lakmali Hemachandra regarding the viral post. The MP confirmed that she never made such a statement and that it is falsely constructed.
President’s Entitlement (Repeal) Act, No. 18 of 2025
The President’s Entitlement (Repeal) Act, No. 18 of 2025, came into force on the 10th September, and as a result, many of the privileges enjoyed by former presidents and widows of former presidents will no longer be available.
The privileges that are no longer to be provided or paid for the implementation of this Act are as follows.
- any residence provided to, or monthly allowance paid to, a former President or the widow of a former President.
- monthly secretarial allowance paid to, and official transport and such other facilities provided to, a former President or the widow of a former President.
- monthly pension paid to the widow of a former President.
News outlets had reported details on the salaries, allowances and other expenses incurred by the government over the past few years for retired presidents/widows, as seen here.
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Conclusion :
Our investigation reveals that the social media post circulating claims that MP Lakmali Hemachandra stated NPP would provide technology laboratories for 1000 schools within the next year, using funds originally intended for former Presidents, is false. MP Lakmali had never mentioned such a statement, and the posts were created in a false format, aiming to mislead the public by mimicking the Asian Mirror Facebook page.
