HEMINGWAY WOULD SAY IT BLUNTLY: “WHAT WILL WE HEAT OURSELVES WITH THIS WINTER?” We live in Europe and still heat our homes with wood. This means that either we are primitive, or we are rich (like aristocrats or traditional nobles who always keep the fireplace burning). We are not all materially well-off, at least as a people, not since the time of Skënderbeu. And yet it is well known that we are not rich; but, as this winter season approaches, we would like more than ever to be truly primitive. But even being primitive is not allowed. What will we heat our homes with this winter? The bells have been ringing for a long time. In conversation with the managers of the Forestry Directorate, we learn that the wood planned for this winter has been cut, but the main quantity remains in the forest and has not yet been transported. Cut timber has a set period during which it may remain in the forest and must be removed within that period. But the deadlines have passed or are passing. The heating problem is alarming and makes you think of everything. There is a risk that each family in Tirana will have only three-quarters of a cubic metre of wood for the whole winter. If this really happens, there is a danger that spring 1992 will find Tirana (and not only Tirana) without a single tree in its streets. We saw the first signs last winter. Could it be that this year we will also witness a wood exodus? Or, more precisely, their arrival at our stoves? It is truly astonishing that this has not occurred to our “environmentalists”, or to the “first Albanian oppositionists” of modern times. What can we heat our homes with this winter? The use of liquefied gas for heating and cooking is one of the most advantageous methods, or options, which the world has been using widely for years. The question arises: why don’t we put liquefied gas to use? What is preventing us? Why the hesitation? Without claiming to give a historical treatment of the issue, let us mention that the idea was put forward publicly at the 6th Congress of the PPSH in 1971. Its directives assigned the task of gradually introducing the use of this gas in households. The initial investments required would be recouped very quickly; on the other hand, ensuring a high degree of cleanliness and ease of use, as well as saving firewood, were factors of particular importance for improving domestic comfort and protecting the environment. But years passed without anything being done. (Let us not forget the long-standing relations with the forests.) On 3.4.1990, by Decision No. 124, the Council of Ministers of the time issued further instructions: 1. The liquefied-gas plant in Ballsh is to be put into operation within 1981, and measures are to be taken to use it and distribute gas to households through the network. 2. A study is to be carried out on increasing the use of gas cylinders and liquefied gas in households, with a view to raising production to 30–40 thousand tonnes. Do you know what this gas has done? — the serviceman who took the floor said to the onlookers gathered in Dajç të Zadrimës, which at the time was the centre of the locality, on that day in early autumn 1946. — This man did not report who was carrying an unlicensed weapon, — he gestured towards the prisoner they had brought before them... and then the firing squad opened fire. After the volley that felled that tall, handsome man, renowned for his loyalty and courage, a voice was heard addressing the tearful people before this savage, macabre scene, in a tone that sounded almost comical: — This is what will happen to everyone who carries an unlicensed weapon, and to everyone who knows who carries one and does not report it! Thus Gjush Marku from Pistull, Shkodër, was killed. A fellow villager had told me this story some time ago, without concealing the grief he had felt all those years earlier. Then they began persecuting his family. Lali, the village’s good and mild-mannered farmer, was declared a kulak. His sons, Marku and Toma, although young, were branded and given a “bad” biography that followed them into old age. Why all this? Because their father had not reported armed people to the People’s Self-Defence Forces? A year and a half after his murder, the same forces launched another campaign against villagers who possessed unlicensed weapons: the distribution of licensed weapons. Not just one, but even two; everyone was guarded with weapons, and even young people were equipped with pistols and played with them. Much was said about gangs and the trouble brewing around them, although most of those weapons were never fired. Yet this campaign expanded and took on such proportions that it apparently became part of the entire legislative and state apparatus. The carrying of weapons was done in such a way—and the firing?—to such an extent that the chairman of the whole operation was eventually involved. And it became a demand from everyone, in the year...? Along with these, production was also provided, as well as the equipment needed to use gas, and responsibility was assigned for supplying fuel and for all the processing through nearby pipelines. (General compilation of legislation in force, 1945–1985. Vol. I, p. 788.) It is abundantly clear how this decision was implemented. This needs no comment. But an explanation of the causes and reasons for this negligence, not to say incompetence, would upset the whole arrangement. What did the government of the time do—was it incapable even of implementing its own decisions? The failure to implement this decision, as well as Council of Ministers Decision No. 117, dated 28.3.1985, “On measures to be taken for the development and rational use of forests and timber”, might perhaps be the subject of another article. The 1985 decision partly dispels the “mystery” of liquefied gas. Reading it, we learn indirectly that gas has been taken out of the picture. Under point 8 of this decision, the Ministry of Energy was to take measures to increase, by 1990, the production of coal with a calorific value of 4,000–4,500 kcal to 270 thousand tonnes. The Ministry of Light and Food Industries was also tasked with taking measures to produce the necessary stoves and distribute them in newly built areas and in areas with fewer forests. Once again, further comment is unnecessary. • What can we heat our homes with? In addition to natural gas, Europe also uses electricity, the use of wood being well known. In an article published recently in the newspaper “Zëri i popullit”, a specialist in this field categorically rules out heating Tirana with electricity. The only argument offered to justify this is the overload that the existing electrical network might experience. Reconstructing and modernising the network is an urgent need that requires funding. But let us leave the question open once again. Many people use spotlights or electric ovens to heat their homes. Could our government not put household electric heating appliances on the market as alternatives, or even heaters with specified capacities? These spotlights or these hotplates? Their use would be effective, and the network would be no more heavily loaded. On the other hand, according to other specialists, there are also areas of Tirana where the network is not overloaded. Let these areas be identified and made known. Not to mention the electricity-pricing mechanism, which changes the readings every hour according to the situation or demand; what is this, too, if not a general issue and a service matter? I will not make assertions without offering a solution, even an approximate one, though it is necessary. If the question is asked for whom the bells of winter toll, the answer so far is clear: they toll only for the people.

On 27.8.1991, a meeting with Mr Anton Çeta and Kristo Frashëri was held at the headquarters of the Republican Party. The gentlemen met and held talks with the chairman of the PRSH, Mr Sabri Godo, the deputy chairman, Mr Van Gjush Gambeta, and Messrs Gërçiz Mingomataj, head of the PRSH foreign affairs section, and Farmir Medini, chairman of the PR branch in Fier. The meeting was very cordial. Mr Godo gave a comprehensive overview of the activities in the country and of the efforts the PR is making for a better future for the country. He spoke highly, as did the entire Albanian people, of Prof. Anton Çeta’s highly valued work for the reconciliation of blood feuds in Kosovo, as a very important element in uniting and strengthening the cohesion of modern Albanian concepts, as an integral part of the demands and criteria for integration into Europe and, indeed, more broadly. The esteemed professor spoke very favourably of the processes of pluralism in Albania, the aspirations of the Albanian people and the opposition forces, and the fact that Albania is striving at all costs to make up for the time lost under one-party rule. It is a process that must be undergone, but with peaceful means. “We in Kosovo are in circumstances where we are under attack, although the enemy is clearly identified.” Mr Medini, chairman of the PR branch in Fier, invited the esteemed Prof. A. Çeta to a working meeting in the Fier district, where part of the population is from Kosovo. The multifaceted fraternal conversation was fruitful and constructive. At the PR headquarters, they also welcomed their guest from France, Mr Gabriel Gandot of the University of Montpelier, as well as Mr Mifail Covanaj, a member of the Albanian community in Brussels. “Republika” correspondent

— Do you know what this man has done? — said the serviceman who took the floor to the onlookers gathered in Dajç të Zadrimës, which at the time was the centre of the locality, on that day in early autumn 1946. — This man did not report who was carrying an unlicensed weapon, — he gestured towards the prisoner they had brought before them... and then the firing squad opened fire. After the volley that felled that tall, handsome man, renowned for his loyalty and courage, a voice was heard addressing the tearful people before this savage, macabre scene, in a tone that sounded almost comical: — This is what will happen to everyone who carries an unlicensed weapon, and to everyone who knows who carries one and does not report it! Thus Gjush Marku from Pistull, Shkodër, was killed. A fellow villager had told me this story some time ago, without concealing the grief he had felt all those years earlier. Then they began persecuting his family. Lali, the village’s good and mild-mannered farmer, was declared a kulak. His sons, Marku and Toma, although young, were branded and given a “bad” biography that followed them into old age. Why all this? Because their father had not reported armed people to the People’s Self-Defence Forces? A year and a half after his murder, the same forces launched another campaign against villagers who possessed unlicensed weapons: the distribution of licensed weapons. Not just one, but even two; everyone was guarded with weapons, and even young people were equipped with pistols and played with them. Much was said about gangs and the trouble brewing around them, although most of those weapons were never fired. Yet this campaign expanded and took on such proportions that it apparently became part of the entire legislative and state apparatus. The carrying of weapons was done in such a way—and the firing?—to such an extent that the chairman of the whole operation was eventually involved. And it became a demand from everyone, in the year...? Along with these, production was also provided, as well as the equipment needed to use gas, and responsibility was assigned for supplying fuel and for all the processing through nearby pipelines. (General compilation of legislation in force, 1945–1985. Vol. I, p. 788.) It is abundantly clear how this decision was implemented. This needs no comment. But an explanation of the causes and reasons for this negligence, not to say incompetence, would upset the whole arrangement. What did the government of the time do—was it incapable even of implementing its own decisions? The failure to implement this decision, as well as Council of Ministers Decision No. 117, dated 28.3.1985, “On measures to be taken for the development and rational use of forests and timber”, might perhaps be the subject of another article. The 1985 decision partly dispels the “mystery” of liquefied gas. Reading it, we learn indirectly that gas has been taken out of the picture. Under point 8 of this decision, the Ministry of Energy was to take measures to increase, by 1990, the production of coal with a calorific value of 4,000–4,500 kcal to 270 thousand tonnes. The Ministry of Light and Food Industries was also tasked with taking measures to produce the necessary stoves and distribute them in newly built areas and in areas with fewer forests. Once again, further comment is unnecessary. What can we heat our homes with? In addition to natural gas, Europe also uses electricity, the use of wood being well known. In an article published recently in the newspaper “Zëri i popullit”, a specialist in this field categorically rules out heating Tirana with electricity. The only argument offered to justify this is the overload that the existing electrical network might experience. Reconstructing and modernising the network is an urgent need that requires funding. But let us leave the question open once again. Many people use spotlights or electric ovens to heat their homes. Could our government not put household electric heating appliances on the market as alternatives, or even heaters with specified capacities? These spotlights or these hotplates? Their use would be effective, and the network would be no more heavily loaded. On the other hand, according to other specialists, there are also areas of Tirana where the network is not overloaded. Let these areas be identified and made known. Not to mention the electricity-pricing mechanism, which changes the readings every hour according to the situation or demand; what is this, too, if not a general issue and a service matter? I will not make assertions without offering a solution, even an approximate one, though it is necessary. If the question is asked for whom the bells of winter toll, the answer so far is clear: they toll only for the people.

On 23 August, the PR branch in Lushnje, in cooperation with the BPSH for the city’s education, culture and sports sectors, organised a conference attended by teachers, specialists in these fields and leaders of the district executive committee. Mr Skënder Kërçuku, candidate of sciences, member of the PR Steering Committee and head of its economic section, and Mr Aleksandër Gjolma, candidate of sciences, member of the Steering Committee and head of the PR social section, took part. The conference addressed staffing issues in education, culture and sports, and the negative policy pursued by the monist leaders of the Gjermeni, Çuko, Çili and Thomai clans. The conference was opened by the chairman of the PR branch, Mr Shpend Salaku, while the branch secretary, Mr Gëzim Hajdari, delivered the opening remarks. In his speech, and in the contributions by Messrs Kadri Fishka, Andon Kush, Alfred Dhamo, Fredi Haxhiu, Luan Kuro, Islam Çake, Robert Cabej, Ilir Sinjori, Kujtim Sula, Kujtim Haxhiu, etc., it was stressed that education, culture and sports were in a state of shock and therefore had to be treated with shock therapy. Concrete proposals were made for changing the situation. At the conference, proposals were put forward regarding the movement of culture in Lushnjë? [some words illegible]. The guests from Tirana, Aleksandër Gjolma and Skënder Kërçuku, enlivened the discussion with their contributions.

In accordance with the laws in force, after a long wait, the Humanitarian Political-Social Association of Former Political Prisoners of Albania officially began operating on 15.8.1991. This association was born as a result of the superhuman efforts and many years of struggle by previous and present generations of Albania’s various political and social currents, united in the great ideal of freedom and true democracy, for which they were martyred and sacrificed themselves, and earned their rightful place at the sacred altar of the Nation. Our association’s objective is to resolve various problems and address the concerns of its many thousands of members, who, like the entire Albanian people, endured for half a century the savage and monstrous violence of the Enverist communist totalitarian regime, which plunged the country into that terrible catastrophe that we are still experiencing today, and which is hard to imagine has a parallel anywhere in the world. The Association of Former Political Prisoners of Albania will work with all its strength and all lawful democratic means, in coordination with the rule-of-law state and other nationwide and international democratic forces, to establish true social justice, secure recognition of innocence, and win all the civil, legal, economic and social rights of its members, which the communist totalitarian regime took away from them by force and other unlawful means. This association will document all the monstrous crimes of the communist dictatorship from 1944 to the present day. The Association of Former Political Prisoners of Albania will seek, by all peaceful and legal means, economic compensation for its members and compensation for the destruction of their livelihoods, income and sacred patriotic property. At the present moment, when the dark Enverist forces are exulting over the fascist coup in the Soviet Union, showing that they still have not laid down their blood-soaked weapons of crime and terror, but are ready to repeat the “bloody past”, the democratic forces of the whole world and of our country, together with our association as the vanguard of the struggle for freedom and full democracy, must mobilise and strengthen their ranks, demanding the purging and eradication of all remnants of the criminal Enverist regime, the immediate removal of all senior officials of the one-party state, particularly those of the State Security service implicated in monstrous crimes, and the bringing before the people’s court of that bloodthirsty clique, charged not only with ordinary crimes but, above all, with instigating, co-perpetrating and carrying out all the anti-communist political crimes committed by the dictatorial regime of Enver Hoxha and his associates. In the interests of creating national reconciliation and true justice, our association considers it essential and urgent that the People’s Assembly immediately and without hesitation declare the innocence of all former political prisoners and fully include them in the state’s efforts to achieve this noble and humane goal. Our association, as a genuine nationwide opposition force, tempered in the half-century-long struggle against the savage communist dictatorship, is deeply convinced that it enjoys the respect and support of the democratic aspirations of the entire Albanian people, and will strive by every recognised legal form and method to realise the national ideals.