— “THE COMMUNIST, FIRST IN SACRIFICES AND LAST IN DEMANDS” After the report “On the activities of the Directorate of the Residence” presented by Finance Minister Genc Ruli had ended, the session chair, Lush Përpali, wished the deputies “good night and sweet dreams.” But I doubt any of the deputies slept like a lamb. Why? Please read the following lines: There has been no shortage of talk and writing about our former leaders (may God preserve the peace they enjoy). Not long ago, dear reader, you learned about the expenses and major abuses they committed in the field of healthcare. Logic would have it that a sick person spends most of their money on doctors and medicines; illness, they say, also comes from food and unfavorable living conditions, especially stress. Let us start with the residences. To maintain (uniform) contacts with the people throughout Albania, 82 villas had been made available. To be fair, it must be emphasized that there was injustice in the allocation of the villas. The Hoxha family had two residential villas and four holiday villas. To comply with the rules, we should add that personal holiday villas are nowhere mentioned in the 1976 decision of the Political Bureau; apparently some shabby decision was made among the “comrades” to avoid a bureaucratic procedure. But let us return to the unfair bureaucratic procedure. To go back to the villas, starting with the other residences, the picture is irregular: a request for expansion was submitted. The Party took it into consideration and even apologized for having let them live in miserable conditions. Thus, Besnik Bekteshi’s family of six had 10 rooms and added three rooms and three bathrooms. Simon Stefani had eight rooms and added four more, but when he saw that only 626 thousand lekë had been overlooked, he shook his head in dissatisfaction. The issue of residential premises was put somewhat on the right track, but what about the holiday villas on Durrës beach? Pali Miska makes a big issue of the matter, saying angrily: “Have we come here to rest, or to wear ourselves out?” and sets an example himself: he adds five rooms and four bathrooms to his four-room villa. To show Comrade Pali that I am “super calm,” Hekuran Isai adds three more rooms to his seven-room villa, bringing it to 10, compared with nine for Comrade Hekuran. “Father of the working class” Rita Marko gets extremely angry, paces around the room (we are still in Durrës) and stammers: “But there’s something [unclear] on this wall (although he had his glasses on), two spots.” Then, with an action any military officer would envy, he gives the order: “Tear down the wall and rebuild it from scratch.” And so it was done. As soon as Simon heard the word “build,” he asked himself: “But why should I, just because I’m younger, have to climb the stairs on foot? An elevator. Quickly, make the [unclear] first, but they say stairs on foot? An elevator. Quickly, make ... [End of columns in the photo clipping] As for the following: families—I will quote a wise man who says: “Poverty makes you greedy.” Very true. For example, some families who moved out of the block (Myftiu, Mihali, Murra) removed everything from the premises they had lived in, even the taps and electrical outlets. And after the inventory, 90,000 lekë worth of equipment was missing. To close the chapter on residences, we should add that it had been deemed reasonable for the state to cover 50 percent of the costs of electricity, water, rent and heating. The families would pay the rest. But this business of percentages is a little tricky: 1. We say 50 percent, but what if that fifty percent comes to (say) 30,000 lekë a month? 2. One of the leaders is said to have caught the right person and told him, “How am I supposed to know, damn it, how much 50 percent comes to? Say things plainly; don’t complicate the issue, you educated people!” To avoid these two problems, the “I want it, I get it” system was used. Rent was now 240 lekë a month. How far-sighted those two observations above were is also shown by the fact that, using the cap for the period from 1989 to February 1991, the state paid 840,000 lekë (nearly five times more). Looking at the residences inside and out, one concludes that the problem must have been the food they consumed. For the period September 1989–1990 and outside, one concludes that ... [Visible end of text is cut off] ... that we were building socialism. For a year we had not stopped talking about the policy of isolation pursued by our top leadership. Foreigners, too, had fallen for this “mistake.” Our leadership did not pursue a policy of isolation. The facts? An active policy was pursued in the field of foreign relations. This is also borne out by the 1,323 packages received from embassies in various countries around the world during 1989–1990, addressed to the Directorate of Reception. Of these packages, 294 parcels bore the address code X-31, and 355 were addressed to specific families. But what I have mentioned above is only the tip of the iceberg. These packages came through the customs offices at Rinas, Tirana and Durrës and were never inspected, in accordance with the instruction “top secret.” ...rules, we add that personal holiday villas are not mentioned anywhere oral procedure. But let us return to the injustice in the allocation of villas. To disguise the inequality that existed in this matter between the Hoxha family and the others, the latter thought (and acted) that at least they should have an equal number of rooms and bathrooms. And during the last decade, as part of the struggle against inequality, additions were made to 17 residences. How did this campaign begin? Was there no danger that the Hoxha family might get angry? A pretext had to be found, and then the ball had to be kept rolling to the end. To be specific, Foto Çami began repairing his roof in 1988. They say that when he climbed to the top of the roof, his house of 8 rooms and 3 bathrooms seemed far too small to him, and he ordered 3 more rooms and 3 more bathrooms to be added. Thus his family of 4 began to breathe freely. (Out of curiosity, some 657000 lekë were spent.) As soon as Lenka and Manush found out, they too hurried to undertake “roof repairs”; indeed, to spite comrade Foto, they added 4 rooms each. What about the others? The others did not consider it appropriate to co- anywhere oral it appropriate to co- ...glasses) on the wall, two spots. With an act that any ... would envy. 840 000 lekë (nearly five times more). It seems that, after the problem must be sought in the food they consumed. During the period September 1989-1990, the 26 families of the Albanian kingdom consumed every day 62 kilograms of meat, 13 liters of oil, 20 liters of drinks, and 56 kilograms of fruit. When one reads the rare words such as meat, drinks, fruit, anyone might timidly ask: “What would have happened if this quantity had been distributed equitably among the people?” To make the meaning of this question clear, let us say that it would have supplied 450 families with meat and 110 families with oil... Above we mentioned equality for the people, but was there equality at the top? Over a one-year period, the Hoxha family consumed 2 tons of meat, 7 quintals of sausage, 250 liters of beer, 5.5 tons of fruit (so it seems they put all 28 refrigerators to use), 1.8 quintals of coffee... To conclude the chapter on food: even up there, where the water flowed “pure,” there was no equality. Indeed, today the demands for equality made by the people sound absurd. The great leaders said: “complete equality only under communism,” and it is known 1989-February 1991, the state paid only for 1989-1990. The expenses of the Hoxha family in Vienna, 188 with Rome, 38 with Istanbul, Ankara... That the talks on the Albanian side had become intensive is also shown by the fact that calls were made to one telephone number two or three times within a single day. The Alia family also had intensive contacts, 481 telephone calls with Paris. Efforts were also made to raise cultural standards to world-class heights. Comrade Nexhmije, for the years 1986-1989, has 3064 ...hali 25, Lenka Çuko 24, Besnik Bejtës 47, Spiro Koleka 24, Sheqer Peçi 9, etc. We repeat that, for this period, these figures refer only to 1989-1990. The practice of world diplomacy has shown that telephone contacts are also of primary importance in the field of foreign relations. Over the last three years, 553 thousand lekë were spent on the 19 telephones of the Hoxha family, and 456 thousand lekë by the Alia family. The total amount was 1.3 million lekë. There is nothing wrong with holding talks. Whether they were successful or not (!) is a matter that is hardly ever made public. The general public is usually informed who the talks were with. Starting from the top: the Hoxha family had 441 conversations with Paris, 210 with Vienna, 188 with Rome, 38 with Istanbul, Ankara...

— FOUNDATION FOR AID TO ALBANIA ESTABLISHED — As we have informed you, the chairman of the Republican Party of Albania, Mr. Sabri Godo, is in the USA on a working visit. He was received with great enthusiasm by Albanians in New York, where he held an important symposium. Mr. Godo has been invited to meet with Albanian patriots in Detroit, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles as well. On July 30, he is invited to the Institute of World Economic Affairs, attended by prominent businesspeople from around the world. Soon this institute will ... [text cut off] ... the Foundation for Aid to Albania was established, and it will begin operating very soon. During this year, the chairman of the Republican Party had a fraternal conversation with Mr. Vetoni Surroi. We were immensely pleased by the news that our Albanian brothers in America, too, would sign the petition our party has issued in defense of the interests of the Albanian people in Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Southeastern Serbia. We were informed that Mr. Godo has set off together with the distinguished former senator Dioguardi for Wa- [text cut off] Everyone has been invited to meet with Albanian villagers, including in Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles. On July 30, he is invited to the Institute for World Economic Affairs, attended by well-known businesspeople from around the world. Soon, this institute will also promote the situation in Albania. Mr. Godo had a lengthy and at its head ... Our Albanian brothers in America will sign the petition announced by our party Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Southern together with the honorable former Senator Dioguardi, for Washington, where he will meet with prominent members of the American Senate.

There is now no doubt whatsoever about Lenin-Stalin-style socialist collectivization. During these months, peasants have been abandoning the agricultural cooperatives with a deep sense of hatred. Naturally, we cannot speak this way about the administration, many of whose members are weeping over the breakup of the cooperatives. They are, of course, right, because the era of legalized benefits and thefts has come to an end once and for all. The cooperative system has definitively gone downhill. Anyone who has visited the villages can see this. And the crops that were managed to be planted in spring are not expected to be allowed to ripen, or are being left to their fate. They have uprooted the crops, roots and all. In some cooperatives (this absolutely must not happen, because whenever we lack bread there is always an outcry) they are not even harvesting the wheat that is shedding its grain in the fields. Nothing is enticing peasants to work in their cooperatives. To be specific, while the credit papers in Tirana and Kavajë, Hariz Dervishi from this village tells us, pay 10 qindarka for every square meter of wheat harvested. So, compared with yesterday’s payment for the same quota, the reward has quintupled, yet this is not moving the peasants. I believe no comment is needed. There is no doubt, then, that the peasantry has chosen the path of privatization. The new land law issued by the People’s Assembly supports this desire of the peasantry. From what we have said, it is clear that, with the support provided by the new law, each peasant family emerges as a private producer and has been invited to hold meetings with those Albanian peasants, also in Detroit, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles. world. Soon this institute will expand its activities and assess the situation in Albania as well. Mr. Godo had an extended meeting with some of the participating businesspeople. We are also informed that an Albanian-American association was founded in the USA, and at its head ... Very good so far. The government, the Council of Ministers and the bodies under its authority carried out this work quickly, always bearing in mind the urgent needs of the thousands of people waiting for this law. This draft law was submitted to the People’s Assembly in accordance with all protocol requirements as early as 9 JULY 1991. Nearly a month has passed, and no one on the relevant parliamentary committees deigns to take it under consideration. Well... naturally,

— BEFORE THE SCREEN, WAITING FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE DRAFT AMNESTY LAW — He is now gray-haired, but when he was arrested he was not; he was very young, a 20-year-old lad. He was sentenced for agitation and propaganda. His most serious crime was that he had met American spies, who had gone all the way across Albania, from the Adriatic to Peshkopi, to meet him in the middle of the night(!) Don’t be surprised. Not at all. Nothing extraordinary happened; the Ministry of the Interior’s plan was simply carried out. It absolutely had to find and convict an American spy in the district of Dibra, and to achieve this, the wording of the charge did not matter, although the country’s judiciary had muddled it, knowing full well what his mission was. But we have no forgotten words. Now this man wants to live. To live normally. To have his share of sunshine, which is his due, his share of bread, his share of a bed, his share of the life he has left to live. He, too, should have the right to speak and think freely, without imprisonment, and to have his own money. He, too, should have the right to enjoy, if only a little, music, painting, poetry, love, wine, and whatever rarities may come his way. Yes, he has the right to have proper human dreams, brutally violated for the sake of a macabre regime. Because he has the right, the STATE, too, took it upon itself to help him, THE FORMER POLITICAL PRISONER. It brought him a few cups of pasta and a pea pie. The parties took THE FORMER POLITICAL PRISONER into their fold. They organized rallies, were moved, patted him on the back, which still bears the scars of Spaç, and took the lead in the country. On some occasions they were so moved that even the executioner seemed like a victim to us, and we felt the same way about him. But we, too, are human. Because he has the right, Parliament, too, took it upon itself to give him the right to live, to bring THE FORMER POLITICAL PRISONER back to life. TO BEGIN WITH, THROUGH THE LAW The work began well and urgently, as the empty stomachs and dried-up veins of THE FORMER POLITICAL PRISONER demanded. It ...

If the people were to become troublesome and demand too much— (Continued on page 3)

is clear that each peasant family, with the support provided by the new law, emerges as a private producer and ... provided that it has the land and the other means of production and distribution. And that is no small matter. From now on, peasants will be producers and administrators, so they will have to deal with every problem, from planting through to marketing their produce. But in the privatization process, the most serious and worrying problem for the peasant is the mechanization of agricultural production. Mechanization must accompany land privatization; under no circumstances should it be left to spontaneity. The state’s failure to get involved at this stage, when the machinery is still concentrated in a few hands, would deepen the crisis in agricultural production. It is neither possible nor should we even contemplate cultivating the land by hand as in the old days. If that happens, it would turn the peasants into slaves of the land. They would not accept such a thing either, because, after all, it was this very prospect that held the peasants back from voting for the opposition a few months ago. Who will mechanize the land of individual producers, and what responsibilities will the parties assume? It is well known that, for now, agricultural machinery in our country is entirely in the hands of SMT. The high level of wear and tear on most of the machinery in the fleet, which is kept running with “wedges,” makes selling it—and therefore privatizing it—difficult. If ... (Continued on page 2)

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Sign the petition. This moment is a historic one in your life and in the life of our nation. No individual should remain indifferent in the face of this fact. Brave and heroic Kosovo broke away from Zog’s rule and, for the second time, from the dictator Enver. With your signature, give your support, backing and desire for the recognition of the Republic of Kosovo. Albanian people! For a moment, forget the political parties. Do not think about which party you belong to or which party you sympathize with. Remember only one precious thing, one that fills you with pride: that you are Albanian, and give your will, heart and soul to your Albanian brothers living in their own lands in Kosovo and in the other regions of Yugoslavia. No party deserves the credit. The people who carry out this act today will enter the history of the Albanian nation. The credit belongs to the people, and to the people alone. Political parties and trade unions! Give your assistance by mobilizing everyone to sign the petition. The Republican Party took the initiative, but is convinced that all of you would have taken it as well. Any political party or trade union that takes on this initiative will always find the support and backing of the Republican Party. The interests of the nation and the people stand above party interests. STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE PR.