OPPOSITION AGAINST DEFERMENT OF CHILD'S ALLOWANCE LAW APPLICATION

ZAGREB, March 22 (Hina) - Croatia's ruling coalition has not stopped accusing the former government of leaving behind financial problems, while the current Opposition is counter-attacking by accusing the six-party coalition of failing to fulfil the promises it made before January's parliamentary elections. Mutual accusations have characterised the work so far of the present composition of parliament's House of Representatives. No different was Wednesday's discussion on the deferment of the application of the Child's Allowance Law, according to which the allowance would also be granted to children of farmers, craftsmen and the unemployed. MPs of the ruling coalition, unlike the Opposition, are advocating that the law's coming into effect be postponed. The former composition of the Lower House passed the law by consensus in mid-1999. Last December, the former government passed a decree under which the application of the Child's Allowance Law was postponed until March 1 this year, due to a lack of both organisational or financial possibilities. The new government for the same reasons suggests that the law come into effect on 1 January 2001. The ruling coalition maintains the Croatian Democratic Union-led government needed the law only for winning parliamentary elections since, the coalition claims, the formerly ruling party knew the stated was in great debt. The current Opposition is against the deferment of the law, pointing out it is necessary to ensure immediate assistance to the most endangered strata as, they say, the winning coalition promised before elections. (hina) ha mm