Weerawansa challenges Fonseka to debate on arms deal
By Anjana Jayashan in Colombo
Colombo, 04 January, (Asiantribune.com):
National Freedom Front leader and parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa on Sunday repeated his challenge to the opposition’s common candidate, Gen Sarath Fonseka to a debate on the reported arms deal of his son-in-law with the Sri Lankan army when Fonseka was army chief.
Addressing a press conference along with other United People's Freedom Alliance Ministers here, he said if the General failed to respond within two days time, the Freedom Alliance would begin to unfold details of the "corrupt and shady arms deal".
Weerawansa told the media that the American address given by General Fonseka's son-in-law was the same as the one mentioned in Gen Fonseka’s green card, thus giving rise to the suspicion that the company supplying arms was owned by Fonseka himself.
He told Fonseka that the President, who was the Commander-in-Chief, would not prefer to enter into a debate with subordinate like Fonseka."The President reserves the right to name a person to the debate and Fonseka too can name his nominee", said Weerawansa.
UPFA General Secretary and Education Minister Susil Premjayanth said the Sunder Leader Editor, Fredrica Janz has, in Sunday issue had reiterated that Gen Sarath Fonseka had indeed made the allegation on Dec 13 that Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa had instructed a ground commander in the battle zone during the last phase of the Eelam War IV (May 16 to May 19) to shoot all LTTE leaders who came out waving a white flag with the intention of surrendering to the military.( The retired General retracted the charge 24 hours later).
Mr Wimal Weerawansa recalled that JVP’s Lal Kantha was on record saying that if Gen Fonseka had made such an allegation against the Defence Secretary, he was a traitor.
Mr Premjayanth also said the United National Party and the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna were projecting Gen Fonseka as "Mr clean" and the Freedom Alliance would expose his true colours soon.
Engineering Services Minister Rajitha Senaratne challenged the UNP to prove before the Commission of the Investigations the bribery and corruption charges it was levelling against the Rajapaksa family.
Minister Senarathne said Gen Fonseka who vowed to free the country from corruption was taking advice from parliamentarians with dubious reputations like Mangala Samaraweera and Wijayadasa Rajapaksa.
- Asian Tribune -
Comments
General Fonseka is still a
General Fonseka is still a todler in the school of politics and humanities so as we know, he has just been admitted to the kindergarten of it. Now he is just practicing phonology. i.e. how to pronunce words including stress and intonation. His teachers are Ranil, Somawansa, Mangala, Mano and Hakeem who are not properly trained enough guide someone. Therefore, it takes time for Fonseka to master these skills. This is the very reason why he makes meaningless statements when he speaks at rallys and newsbriefings too. I think Wimal should realize this as to why he does not take challenges. This is true on his part becasue according to learning theories, it is assumed that todlers are cognitively immatured.
I knew this imbalance of
I knew this imbalance of propaganda directed towards MR from the word go. On a wicket like this I wonder why the President called for Presidential Elections rather than Parliamentary Election which was due before April. However, the private news channels and media attack the government without any rules or restrictions. Then the very opposition who benefits from this private media also wants a slice from Government media to carry on its propaganda activity.
Holding the election manifesto may be a good idea until the opposition put a joint document. Wimal Weerawansa should not hide anything on SF arms dealings but put out all the facts for the General Public to draw conclusions. All the harping about Rajapaksa real estate had become a farce without any concrete evidence presented so far. SF who intimidated the Tamils in Jaffna for a very long time now is trying to be their savior at the expense of others.
I wish the electorate will be grateful to the President as most of our Tamil people will appreciate. Decades of war has pushed us back 100 years so is our children who have missed their academic work. All this time we could not support the government in power because of their inability to take control of the security situation. We were afraid that LTTE will slaughter us when the government withdraws. But now we have no fear in supporting traditional democratic institutions. The credit should go to the current government and its leaders for saving us from the clutches of terrorists.
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