ZAGREB, Oct 1 (Hina) - During a discussion at the Croatian National Parliament House of Representatives on Friday, MPs criticised a bill on new identification cards. MPs of six opposition parties walked out of the session during a
discussion on amendments to the Statute on the Croatian ratio and Television (HRT), and a bill stipulating incumbent MPs should remain members of boards in companies and non-budgetary funds for another year after parliamentary elections was harshly criticised. Amendments to the HRT Statute pertain to harmonisation with the valid Law on HRT. Opposition members were dissatisfied that the HRT director, Ivica Vrkic, was not present at the session. They said the HRT still was not a public television but a television of the party in power, because of which they decided not to participate in any further discussions on the subject. MPs mostly criticised the bill on IDs regarding
ZAGREB, Oct 1 (Hina) - During a discussion at the Croatian National
Parliament House of Representatives on Friday, MPs criticised a
bill on new identification cards.
MPs of six opposition parties walked out of the session during a
discussion on amendments to the Statute on the Croatian ratio and
Television (HRT), and a bill stipulating incumbent MPs should
remain members of boards in companies and non-budgetary funds for
another year after parliamentary elections was harshly
criticised.
Amendments to the HRT Statute pertain to harmonisation with the
valid Law on HRT. Opposition members were dissatisfied that the HRT
director, Ivica Vrkic, was not present at the session. They said the
HRT still was not a public television but a television of the party
in power, because of which they decided not to participate in any
further discussions on the subject.
MPs mostly criticised the bill on IDs regarding the provision that
the surname be written in front of the person's name. This is not in
the spirit of the Croatian language, Bosiljko Misetic of the ruling
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) said.
He also held as inappropriate printing in English because, as he
said, Croatia has through history always been the target of
bilingualism.
An ID is an identification document for Croatia, and a passport is
used as a document internationally.
Should the bill be adopted, the Constitution should also be amended
according to which Croatian is the official language, Misetic
warned.
Changes to IDs are unnecessary, mostly because of the enormous cost
of the process, in excess of 15 million kuna (US$2.1 million),
Snjezana Biga Friganovic of the Social democratic Party (SDP) bench
said.
Furio Radin (minority bench) suggested that a provision
stipulating that IDs also be printed in the language of minorities.
Minorities are requesting that this be made possible not only
pursuant to an international agreement, but also to a law or statute
of a local self-government statute.
Anton Kovacevic's (HDZ) motion that the deadline for MPs to remain
members of boards of companies, institutions and non-budgetary
funds was received with harsh polemics.
The deadline expires on October 16, and it is as yet unknown when the
present Lower House mandate will expire.
Ivan Kolak (HDZ) suggested their mandate should be extended for six
months.
(hina) lml