IS THE TIME COME TO FORM A NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY
(Continued from the previous issue)
Without being backed by moral forces and lacking an absolute leader, the opposition remained and remains unfortunate. The intellectuals of the right did not find their salvation through the approach of former persecuted people and former owners. Democratic TV was opened after much demagoguery. Ylli Popa was dismissed several times from work, yet he still hopes. Sali Berisha is not the political savior. He cannot be such, as long as he moves reflectively, without a national axis. The Albania of Nano and Berisha, in the time of its historical crisis, cannot have real representation without relying on the Albanian middle class, on the cultivated bourgeoisie, on the strata with national consciousness.
In 1989 the Ministry of Culture opened the way for a discussion that seemed somewhat strange for the time. A kind of reform in theater was talked about. The aim was to prove that liberalism was emerging in Albania. Words such as pluralism, individual initiative, a new spirit in art were used. But all this remained on paper. It became clear that the old scheme would not give way. Even when the first movements appeared in society, the same dirigiste spirit remained in culture. The same happened with many intellectuals who were unable to break away from the old model of thought.
Writers and artists, who could have formed the core of a new democratic thought, found themselves facing a difficult choice: either remain close to the old power in the hope of some privilege, or enter an unorganized opposition. Most chose to wait. This long wait drained their moral energy. Meanwhile, many public figures jumped from one side to the other, not on the basis of conviction, but according to the interests of the day.
Today the problem is much deeper. It is not only about changing governments, but about building stable institutions. A new democratic party cannot be merely a reunion of worn-out names. It must be built on a clear program, on public responsibility, and on respect for individual freedom. Without this foundation, any movement will remain a routine episode of the transition.
If the time has come in Albania for a new force, that time is linked to broad civic disappointment with political improvisation. The ordinary citizen seeks order, dignity, work, and the rule of law. He does not seek empty rhetoric. In the absence of this response, the country risks remaining hostage to an endless conflict between camps fed by the same political culture.
This is precisely where the question arises: has the time come to form a new democratic party? The answer cannot be emotional. It depends on the ability to produce a moral elite, an administrative elite, and an intellectual elite. Without them, any new party will be nothing more than a new label on old habits.
KREMAZO PASHKO
ENVER HOXHA