PARLIAMENT MARKS 150TH ANNIVERSARY SINCE CROATIAN WAS DECLARED OFFICIAL LANGUAGE

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ( Vidi vijest: 5213 ) ZAGREB, Oct 23 (Hina) - On Thursday the Croatian Parliament marked the 150th anniversary of the decision to declare Croatian the official language at the Parliament. Croatian replaced Latin spoken at the Parliament until 1847 at an initiative by a writer, Ivan Kukuljevic Sakcinski, who held his famous speech commending the Croatian language on 2 May 1843 at the Parliament. "Kukuljevic was resolute, brave and uncompromising when he asked who could forbid Croatians to use their language as a diplomatic one and to be educated in that language and to speak only that language at official meetings and parliamentary discussions," Parliament Speaker Vlatko Pavletic said on Thursday. Describing Kukuljevic's address as crucial for further developments, Pavletic said that a proposal was submitted on 18 October 1847 for proclaiming Croatian as the official language and the proposal was accepted and recorded in the Parliament on 23 October that year. Finally, the parliament confirmed that historic decision on the Croatian language during its 1848 June-July sitting when Ban Josip Jelacic was installed. During Thursday's celebration, a book "The Selected Works" by Ivan Kukuljevic Sakcinski was presented and his 1843 famous speech was read by an actor, Ante Rumora. Present at the ceremony were MPs, politicians, public figures and citizens. (hina) jn mš 231717 MET oct 97