18 January 2021 03:13 am
Minister of Public Security Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara is to propose in Parliament to make way for military training for citizens above 18 years of age.
Speaking to Daily Mirror, he said it was expected to bring in the proposal with the intention of creating a disciplined and law-abiding nation.
“There is absolutely no discipline in the country. From December 20 last year up to now, more than 100 people have died on the road without adhering to road rules and more than 180 have been reported permanently disabled,” he underlined.
“This shows that there is no discipline in society. Hence, we must provide military training for young men and women above 18 years of age. This is why I will table this proposal in Parliament.
“There is no need to fear military training. It is through military training that a person will be able to stand strong, build personality and leadership skills. Military training will ensure that we have law-abiding, disciplined and responsible citizens,” the Minister said.
Minister Weerasekara added that countries which had employed similar strategies had reaped benefits of such programmes.
“What I intend is that it is important to provide a six-month-long training for those above 18 who pass out from schools,” he said.
When asked when and how it is going to be implemented, the Minister said it is too early to comment on that and added it was up to Parliament to decide on it.
“I will put up the proposal within a short period and I am going to do it,” he affirmed.
According to an article published on BBC under the title of Reality Check: Which countries have military service? dated June, 2018, the following countries have already made military service compulsory for their citizens.