NSHAT TOZAJ The Party scandal — has it scratched him to the bone, since it was not gathered under the motto of humanity? Head of the secret police, appointed personal national security adviser by order of President Nixon, and at the same time organizer of a system of electronic eavesdropping, theft of documents and blackmail, he presented himself as a champion of order and honesty. “I assure you, gentlemen, with all due respect,” he would say calmly to curious reporters, “that you will be the first to learn the truth about the Watergate scandals.” Tepelena got ready. It was precisely at the last session with the accused, in all six complete copies of the transcripts of that affair, that he was setting the fate (80% of the recorded conversations disappeared) of the Watergate investigation material. The comic way in which he used to gather in his office always reveals that the White House secretary had hidden the tape recorder and microphones in the office. The man code-named “the fat man.” His typical accounts characterize the figure that emerged in public: a man capable of political existence, but when the harshness of the political stage increased, he lost the ability to control himself. What was he capable of? Breaking into apartments, abducting people by force, organizing disinformation, even killing. He did all this under the guise of respect for the law. These actions were proven by documents of the time and by parliamentary and judicial investigations. It was impossible not to think that before such people democracy remained undefended. This distant story is today reminded to me by some events in Albanian politics. Instead of transparency about certain past and present actions, there is often an attempt to cover them up with propaganda and attacks against opponents. As if political morality has no value and everything can be justified by the interests of the party. But the experience of democratic countries proves the opposite. The longer the truth is postponed, the higher the price paid later. (Continues on p. 5)

Signs of localism by President Berisha — DOZENS OF PEOPLE FROM TIRANA IN STATE POSTS Localism today seems to be implied, with private property interests being replaced by regional patriotism, and a discrimination based on north versus south is taking place. In the ministry, in the state apparatus and in the administration, there is a tendency to favor people from Tirana and the surrounding areas. This is not only a perception. In the appointment lists there is a clear concentration of people with kinship or regional ties. These phenomena are not only an ethical issue. They damage the state itself and public trust. An administration built on local closeness cannot be impartial. President Berisha, who once spoke about pluralism and merit, must give explanations for this exclusionary spirit. Albania is not built with hidden divisions and undeserved favoritism. It is built with civic equality and respect for the dignity of every region. PETRAQ DINO

WHEN WILL HE COME OUT OF THE BLOCK SKËNDER GJINUSHI Lost, is he leaving? Gone from the square, “democracy” has opened the way. How difficult it is to understand that a political force which in its first days was called a representative of the future is today represented by its own shadow. And the question many people ask is simple: when will Skënder Gjinushi come out of the block? The enigma of his figure has to do with the way he tries to remain important, holding in his hands the threads of a party that seems tired. Instead of reform, we have spectacle; instead of clarity, we have fog. He speaks like a modern man, but behaves like an heir to an old order. For that reason, the question is not only personal, but political. Why does this situation continue? Because there are interests, ties, fears and calculations. But a party cannot go on forever with the shadow of the past. If it wants to have a future, it must free itself from its internal block. Editorial note

The chairman of the committee for the chronizing[?] of the PPSH representation for the so-called type and that the people who recommended you for the Constituent Assembly to be protected from the sympathizers and the resolutions of the Albanian order. However, one solution of the way and of the activity with the chosen people. In yesterday’s session, the delegates spoke at length about the legacy of the PPSH and about the way PS should distance itself from it. Names, positions and conflicts were mentioned, while part of the hall reacted with applause and part with silence. It was evident that the congress was not only procedural, but also a symbolic battle for the direction of the party. In the end, a clearer political line and greater openness toward the public were demanded. GANI MIFTI

Why did Azzem Hajdari leave Albania? Why did Azzem Hajdari leave Albania?