LOWER HOUSE REJECTS MOTION FOR VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN PENIC

( Editorial: --> 2828 ) ZAGREB, March 27 (Hina) - The House of Representatives on Friday rejected the Croatian Peasant Party's (HSS) motion for a vote of no confidence in Interior Minister Ivan Penic for ordering police to bar access to Zagreb's main square during a trade union protest on February 20. The motion was rejected with 69 votes. Nineteen members voted in favour of the motion and three abstained. Unlike the HSS, other Opposition members were not as vocal in their criticisms of the Interior Minister. Most members agreed that the police had acted in a professional and dignified manner and that the issue of public rallies needed to be further discussed. Minister Penic was enforcing a lawful decision of the city authority, the police did their job in a spirit of tolerance and dignity and should be congratulated, was the gist of the opinions expressed by HDZ members during the debate. "Minister Penic and the police acted in accordance with the law and there is no reason to withdraw our confidence in him," Bosiljko Misetic said on behalf of the HDZ Bench. On behalf of the mover, HSS member Luka Trconic expressed disappointment with the drift of the debate. What Penic was doing on the day of the rally, according to Trconic, was "sheltering an unreasonable government". According to Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) member Damir Kajin, the main reason for the debate on the vote of no confidence was the "astounding involvement of special and regular police". "Penic was not a marginal figure but neither was his role crucial, since it is obvious that the decisions were made by the President himself," Kajin said. He acknowledged, however, that the fact that there was no excessive police brutality showed Penic's professionalism. "One could say that the police acted in accordance with the law, but also that the law itself is questionable," Antun Vujic tentatively summed up the Social Democrats' view. On behalf of the Croatian Social Liberal Party Bench, Djurdja Adlesic called for a vote of no confidence in the whole Government. She described the banning of the rally from the main square as "unnecessary" and "politically harmful". Still, the police showed the utmost professionalism. Croatian Party of Rights member Anto Djapic recalled the glorious role of the Croatian police in the Homeland War. Taking the floor, Minister Penic reminded those who demanded his resignation that it was not the competence of the Ministry of the Interior to determine where rallies may be held. MUP bashing would not resolve this issue, he said. "Would you have me disobey the law, then?" he asked. "Do everything to ensure that the Croatian police does not need to obstruct rallies but can concentrate on keeping order and peace. That's our forte," Penic concluded. (hina) jn as/mb 272005 MET mar 98