Field Marshal Sarath & Minister Sarath lock horns in Parliament

COLOMBO (News 1st); Minister of Public Security Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera (Rtd) and Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, locked horns again in Parliament on Friday (3) during the Debate on the Ministry of Defense Expenditure Head.

Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka charged that the Government does not have a stringent plan to ensure National Security, when looking at the allocations for the Defence Ministry within next year’s budget.

Speaking during the Committee Stage Debate on the Expenditure Heads for the Defence Ministry, he said the defence expenditure should not be reduced despite the war having ended.

He stressed that the country must be ready to face foreign threats, even if there is peace internally.

Citing Singapore’s defence budget, he pointed out that it is among the highest defence budgets in the Asian region despite there being no war.

He also noted that by the end of the war there was an excess of funds which had been used to purchase tanks to boost the military's capacity.

However, he added that some had sneaked to the country’s leadership that he was preparing to take over the country. Fonseka noted that he had no such intention.

"If I wanted to take over the country I do not need to import tanks that will not damage Colombo's streets. I would have crushed everything on my path to take over," he told the Parliament.

Minister Weerasekara said that Sarath Fonseka, who did not call for the arrest of Tinkering Lasantha, was saddened when he was killed during a search for hidden weapons.

"Don’t blame the Police for being cowards, the whole country knows what a coward and hypocrite you are," Minister Weerasekara said.

Weerasekara said that Fonseka was vying for the post of Defence Minister. “Even the previous Government did not give it to him because they know who he is," said Weerasekera.