‘A BMW at Toyota price’

Many an eyebrow was raised when State Minister of Public Enterprises Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena early this week likened the proposed acquisition of a Russian frigate to the purchase of a BMW at the price of a Toyota.

National List MP Abeywardena said so at an SLFP media briefing in Colombo.

The State Minister claimed that Sri Lanka would receive the vessel at the price of an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) though it was a large frigate.

In addition to Abeywardena, Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera has earlier strongly defended the decision to go ahead with the costly acquisition in parliament, at a time the country is reeling from an unprecedented debt crisis.