28 NOVEMBER - THE DAY OF THE LIBERATION OF ALBANIA Yesterday’s Albania, presented as a national problem, required a just, historical and political solution. It was under the pressure of the events and developments of the time. 28 November 1912 was the great act of proclaiming Albania’s independence and raising the national flag in Vlora. 28 November 1944 marked the country’s complete liberation from the occupiers. In our history, this date takes on special significance. It is linked to sacrifice, blood, pain and victory. It is a day that symbolically unites two major events of our nation: independence and liberation. The National Liberation War is one of the most glorious pages of our history. It was a just, popular and liberating war, supported by broad masses of the people. In this war, men and women, young men and women, intellectuals and peasants, workers and patriots took part. With heroism and resistance, our people faced the Nazi-fascist occupation and emerged victorious. The proclamation of independence in 1912 and the liberation in 1944 are two peaks that give 28 November an extraordinary historical weight. This day is a double celebration for Albanians. It encompasses not only historical memory, but also a legacy for the future. The events of 28 November must be assessed responsibly and without prejudice. History should not be used to divide Albanians, but to unite them around the best values of freedom, dignity and statehood. Today, remembering this date, we honor the martyrs of freedom, those who fell for independence and those who fought for liberation. The memory of them is part of our national conscience and our historical identity. (To be continued on page 12)

To understand deeply and in full this great historical and political uprising, we must return to Albania at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, its situation under the Ottoman Empire, the growth of national consciousness, the Albanian League of Prizren, the movements for autonomy and the unceasing efforts for independence. In Vlora, on 28 November 1912, Ismail Qemali raised the national flag and proclaimed Albania’s independence. This act brought an end to an era of servitude and opened a new stage in the life of the Albanian nation. Flag Day is the celebration of national unity, historical awareness and the dignity of a people that never stopped fighting for freedom and statehood. FAN S. NOLI

The PD program-program of the ideologues and ideologists of cunning 600 thousand of a program To help me in this brief and clear ideological sketch, I was again reminded of an old idea of V. I. Lenin about a special kind of politician, a type which is appearing frequently among us in these years. It refers to those people who speak in the name of ideals, but use them for narrow party and personal interests. The PD program promises property, freedom, pluralism and democracy, but in practice it has often brought division, arbitrariness, a spirit of revenge and an unclear economic policy. In the name of anti-communism, actions have often been justified that have nothing to do with the rule of law and normal democratic development. Albania needs an honest, realistic and national program, not empty rhetoric. It is not enough to talk about ideals; one must take responsibility for the consequences of governing, for poverty, for unemployment and for institutional decay. (To be continued on page 4)

TËPËLENË The local education director and other specialists in this field emphasized that during this year an increase in interest has been observed in school activities and in improving conditions in educational environments. The need for cooperation between local institutions and the community was also discussed. (To be continued on page 4)

TIRANA The conference development of the PD branch in the district, with more than 2,000 members, has been one of the most discussed organizational activities of recent days. After numerous debates over representation and composition, a kind of polarization has been noted between rival groups. The meeting also raised problems related to the functioning of the leading forums, the relations between the center and the base, and the method of selecting candidates for leadership. (To be continued on page 12)

The reform is also giving its face in Mirditë 25 million are highlighted, which by specialists from this side have been identified as investment works. These have been carried out in various sectors and have influenced the revitalization of the area’s economic and social life. (To be continued on page 4)

is always red and black, as it was before, without shadow or change, with the black eagle, without stain or trace, as in times past and through the centuries it suits it, when it flutters with the free waves of the sky, as before, without anything else and without stopping. Flag, where are the sons of Albania, for whom hearts and blood were burned, for whom the freedom martyrs fell, for whom the mountains and fields rose up, for whom the men of this land gathered, for whom they became one in unity. Our flag, in joyful and hard days, stands over us as a sign and as a pledge, it reminds us of wounds, victories and storms, it keeps us tied to the land and to hope, it speaks to us of freedom, of blood and honor, of Albania that must not be forgotten. FAIK KONICA