The freedom we won is greater than anything else
ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, MR. SALI BERISHA,
BEFORE THE FARMERS OF ZVEZDE
Yesterday morning, the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, arrived in Korçë for a visit. His first visit was to the Korçë Division. At the ceremony organized on this occasion, Mr. Berisha was accompanied by Minister of Defense Safet Zhulali.
At the tank unit near the village of Pocest, the Commander-in-Chief was received by the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Ilia Vasho, and senior military officers of the Korçë district. After reviewing the honor guard, Mr. Berisha greeted the soldiers and officers present. He then handed the battle flag to the division commander, Colonel Shkelqim Nure, who took the oath. “In this flag,” he said, among other things, “we will see the Albanian land entrusted to us; we will defend the threshold and honor of our homes, and the lives of our children.”
Before the Commander-in-Chief and the assembled troops, the ceremonial march-past of the battle flag took place, followed by the march-past of all the formations of soldiers, according to their branches of arms and services.
After a brief meeting with the garrison’s military personnel, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces greeted the personnel and went to the city of Korçë. At the district’s Martyrs’ Cemetery, President of the Republic Sali Berisha laid a wreath bearing the inscription: “To the Martyrs of the Nation.”
Then, addressing those present, most of whom were young men and women, he said:
“It is the duty of the younger generation always to remember the fallen, because although they truly rest in the cold earth, they are meanwhile in our hearts, in the flag of the nation. We are free because our sons and daughters fell for the honor of Albania and the Nation. All peoples who have suffered hold their symbols sacred.
“But Albanians,” Mr. Berisha continued, “have suffered more, and that is why we will always place our heroes on a pedestal, because here we find our history, here we find our future.”
President Berisha then went to the village of Zvezde, where at midday he met with residents in the center of the village.
“The state exploited you to the bone. Even in a democratic state, after 50 years, today’s farmer would not have had as his sole wealth a few dynym or one hectare of land, which you are receiving from us today; he would have had cars, villas, and other property. On the other hand, I think that these gentlemen, who support democracy and for this we are very grateful to them, are acting politically against themselves and their own votes. They say they voted for the DP, and I believe them; I am grateful to them for that. But I emphasize that one of the basic rules of democracy is to respect the power of the majority, whether you voted for it or did not give it your vote, because in a democratic society the majority has the right to govern. It is undemocratic, and would have catastrophic consequences, if certain groups or particular minorities sought at all costs to impose their will on the majority elected by free vote. This happens only under dictatorship, never in a democracy. Our bitter history under dictatorship should be a great lesson for us.
“But I also think that no one has any reason to be disheartened. It is true that today we are giving farmers from a few dynym up to two hectares of land, but we are also giving former owners reasonable compensation for 15 hectares of land. So we are placing an opportunity for life in everyone’s hands, and no one should forget that the freedom we won together is the price we have paid.
“The Democratic Party will never accept this. In its program, the party promised farmers the liberalization of agricultural prices, and gradually you yourselves have seen how development is reflected in prices that often reach and exceed world prices. This brought about a fundamental change in the economic situation in the countryside in a short time. This has helped agricultural production in Albania grow beyond expectations. It has had a positive effect on the country’s overall economic situation. So today the state not only does not exploit and rob the farmer; on the contrary, it invests large sums to subsidize bread so that the city can cope with its high prices. This sacrifice is necessary, because it is the surest path to increasing production and freeing Albania from alms and emergency aid. This is the surest way to increase agricultural production—not by exploiting you, but by making you prosper. The state subsidizes, and will continue to subsidize, billions so that it is worthwhile for you to grow wheat or other crops.
“The DP program stated that there would be no taxes for two to three years, and, as you can see, this is being implemented. It promised that we would bring in agricultural machinery; unfortunately, this promise has not been fulfilled, but we hope and are confident that things will move in this direction and there will be major changes. Around 1,000 tractors have arrived so far; thousands more will come from thousands and thousands…”
[Part of the text cut off at the upper edge] of Korçë. After reviewing the troops, and the next day... the formations of soldiers according to branches of arms and service... the fallen, because they truly touched the cold earth; meeting with the residents. [The other text at the top is cut off and illegible.]
First, I want to express my great pleasure and gratitude for the brotherly welcome you have given me. I also want to greet you, the farmers of Zvezde, and all the farmers of Albania, who through their hard work, sweat, and honest labor have shaped the face of Albania’s agricultural landscape and of Albania itself. Everyone who comes to Albania, friends and well-wishers of Albania, praises with great respect the work and great services you have rendered to the land. I have great confidence that very soon you will transform Albania into a bride. You yourselves have cultivated your land beautifully; you are filling your homes with livestock and prosperity. But you are the majority of the population, and therefore the improvement in your circumstances is a great joy for us all. The more you have, the more prosperous Albania will become.
Through your work and sacrifices, you show that you fully deserve this respect and esteem. In one year you have won the land you deserve, and the freedom to work, because you now work for yourselves and your homes. This has restored to you responsibility for your work, without which there can be no quality in work. We are very pleased with the rapid changes we have achieved. First of all, because you have undoubtedly been the poorest and most afflicted part of Albanian society.
I say that collectivization, as the final stage of the process of total collectivization, was undoubtedly one of the most barbaric acts a regime has committed against a people. It was also the transformation of the Albanian countryside into a kind of semi-military labor camp, where people often worked for nothing more than dry bread.
It is true that the practice of that time claimed to give priority to agriculture, but that priority consisted in the actual enslavement of the farmer, his labor, his time, and his sweat. There are countless cases of people stealing from the fields because of partial hunger. Your labor, sweat, energy, and muscles were invested in the luxurious and super-luxurious villas of Enver Hoxha and the block leaders, or in the insane process of turning Albania into a bunker.
Today, by contrast, we have concentrated all our efforts on agriculture, first of all by making you the true owners of Albanian land. We are completing land reform, and very soon all Albanian agriculture will consist of private farmers.
We have based land reform on a law approved by consensus in the Albanian parliament, which rests on the principle of “land to those who work it, and land according to the spirit…” This law is a very fair, profoundly humane, and democratic law. Its fundamental principle is “the greatest good for the greatest number.” This law also takes into account all the major demographic, social, and economic changes that have taken place in Albania over the past half-century. It is a fair law because it does not deny property; it distributes property. It creates private farmers and thus respects the great principle of private property. It recognizes the former property and therefore, as a matter of logic, compensates the owners. Naturally, this does not mean that the law will satisfy everyone. That is why, in recent days, some former owners—whom I consider honest citizens and for whose past suffering and deprivation I have profound respect—have begun a hunger strike. They demand that we return the land to its former owners and are dissatisfied with the amount of compensation we give them. This does not seem reasonable to me. First, I tell them that these farmers who have now received land suffered and were exploited like slaves in the agricultural cooperatives, and it would be absurd to think that they should be turned from hired laborers of a dictatorial state into hired laborers of this or that individual.
Second, no one should forget that the Communists nationalized their land, but the state also nationalized the other farmer…
The communist state nationalized the land of the other farmer too, but also the other farmer—the fallen, because they truly met with the residents.
Finally, I want to tell you and the farmers of Pogradec, Sarandë, Mallakastër, Myzeqe, Kavajë, and all of Albania: may you and your children enjoy the land. The DP is a serious political force which, during the election campaign before 31 March and afterward, presented the Albanian electorate with its own program, which received very broad approval from the Albanian electorate. In the field of agriculture, this program envisaged: dismantling the agricultural cooperatives; transferring land into the ownership of farmers; compensating the owners; liberalizing the prices of agricultural products; providing agricultural machinery; and not collecting taxes from farmers for two to three years. I think that, so far, it has proven itself to be a political force that keeps its word. It has not deceived and will not deceive. I assure you that anyone who thinks otherwise will be gravely mistaken: it has adhered, and will adhere with the utmost rigor, to its promises and its program. It was the first to promise to dismantle the cooperatives, and it did so faster than all the countries of Eastern Europe. It promised you that it would give you land as your property, and you are now receiving your title deeds—may you enjoy them. It declared that it would compensate the owners, and we will certainly do so to the extent possible.
Naturally, we have no intention whatsoever of condemning and punishing an entire people for the economic crimes of communism. It nationalized property, took the gold, and destroyed homes and families. If anyone were to think that Albania could pay the 4 billion dollars represented by the missing gold alone, that would be equivalent to punishing two generations of Albanians with penal labor. No one with a noble spirit and heart could demand such a thing…
think that nobody has any reason to be heartbroken. Indeed, to two hectares of land, while former owners are also being given putting a chance for life into everyone’s hands, and nobody greatest opportunity of all. Pogradec, Saranda, Mallakastra, Myzeqe, Kavaja the land. PD before 31 March and afterwards, of agriculture, this program envisaged: dismantling the agricultural cooperatives; giving land ownership to farmers and compensating the owners; liberalizing prices for agricultural products and providing agricultural machinery, as well as not collecting taxes from farmers for 2–3 years. I think that, so far, it has proved has not deceived people and will not deceive them. gravely mistaken, because it has adhered, and will adhere, with great rigor to its promises and program. It was the first to promise that it would dismantle the cooperatives, and it did so faster than any other country in ownership of the land, and you are receiving your title deeds—may you enjoy them. It has declared that it will the extent possible.
Of course, we have no intention of ever families. If anyone thought the missing gold alone, that would amount to condemning two generations of Albanians to punitive labor. Nobody with a noble spirit and heart could ask to meet with the residents.
The PD program stated that there would be no taxes for 2–3 It was certain, that by the end of this year there will be major changes in this area too. Around 1,000 tractors have arrived so far, and thousands more will come in the coming months.
Nevertheless, having identified agriculture as the highest-priority sector, we are determined to invest more and more in it. Thus, investments totaling 50 million dollars have been planned for agriculture next year, to be focused on agricultural machinery, irrigation and seeds.
This year, we expect agricultural production to increase, while next year can be called a full year of private agriculture.
So let me ask you once again: can a serious political force lie to its electorate? No, absolutely not. That cannot happen. Therefore, I call on the strikers demanding the return of their properties and those of their families to end the strike and not forget that the freedom we won is greater than anything else. Let us not forget that what they are striking for today could not even have been mentioned five years ago. To achieve their aim, they should support the political forces whose programs call for the return of properties, and patiently and peacefully fight in the 1996 elections so that those forces win; if they then gain a majority in parliament, they will be able to change the law.
In the history of democracy around the world, a minority has never been able to impose its will on a majority by using methods whose legitimacy, because of their coercive nature, remains highly questionable.
Once again, I wish you, the farmers of Zvezda, and all farmers, enjoyment of your land and the most abundant possible harvests from it.
I wish you and all the farmers of Albania joy and good health in your families!
Korce, 1.6.1993