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Deputy Finance Minister G.L. Peiris said today that
there was no need for the government to step down over an opposition
defeat of a resolution to dissolve the Paddy Marketing Board, as the
defeat was not over a finance bill but merely a resolution under the
finance act. The government’s resolution introduced in
parliament today was narrowly defeated by the opposition, who immediately
raised an exaggerated call for the government to resign. The resolution under the Finance Act to dissolve the
Paddy Marketing Board was defeated with 62 legislators voting against the
resolution, with 59 government votes in favour. “The government is very much in office,"
Minister Peiris told parliament in response to boisterous opposition
United National Party calls for the government's immediate resignation. The opposition argued that the state had already
paid compensation to the employees of the loss-making Paddy Marketing
Board, a state agency which purchased rice grown in the country. Political sources said that the defeat came despite
the government whip asking all ruling party legislators to be present when the
vote was taken Wednesday. Opposition supporters said that since the Board’s dissolution had effectively been blocked, they would seek court action to reinstate its employees and revitalize the ailing state enterprise.
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