For an athlete, it would be quite normal, after a poor start, to continue the race with vigor until being declared the winner. And undoubtedly, in such cases, the winner’s crown would have two meanings at once: the meaning of the race’s contrast and the meaning of victory. It is different when a competitor deliberately steps on the white line of the track, going wide! He draws attention by reminding us of his own inability to start well, to perform well, and to earn a penalty. Just as it happens in sport, it happens in politics too. A retrospective view of a political start allows us to distinguish the players, the crowns and the offside positions. In this respect, Albanian reality is exceptional. Within a highly impressive political framework, generations of politicians and citizens with entirely different interests and views are active. In December 1990, when students demonstrated against communism, there were not thousands or 100,000 of them, but 500–1,000 people, who showed their resolve in their political convictions also during the hunger strike in 1991. There were no more than 10–20 lecturers and intellectuals who stood by the students at that critical moment. There were no more than 100–200 well-known intellectuals who, on 31 March, clearly expressed the popular demands for the end of communism. And so, figures do not lie—but today, if you read the Albanian press, they are relative. In December, the communists felt helpless and frightened, while the democrats—or, better, the anti-communists—formed the DP. Strangely, because one, two or three of those people from December were not in the DP on some later day, they formed their own drowsy parties, destined not for politics but for archaeology. People in masks, sycophants, cowards, armchair warmers or tribune-club regulars, who watched 1990 and the subsequent struggle for democracy as spectators in Tirana’s cafés or on a black-and-white screen with R. Alia, are now rushing to make up for lost time. They suffer from envy and jealousy. They curse themselves for not committing themselves in December; they went, took, accepted the ZD invitations to contribute to the election campaign, and, with a hundred curses and a million plots behind them, they swear they will become parliamentarians. They want to catch up with the winners, although the winners have beaten the communists. After the sense of defeat, they seize the microphones and sharpen their vocabularies—not because they scored eight goals, but because they want to score the ninth. Those politicians with their traces of sweetness from Enver’s or Lani’s libraries are now racing to seize the future and its proven antagonism. These people are time-wasters. God forgive them! Driven out after the double dealings of the establishment around KNK, LSH or “Europe,” this category of people, these time-wasters, want to become parliamentarians despite their tragic past. They are ready to forgive the dictatorship its terror, massacres, poverty and isolation, but they can never reconcile themselves to the new democratic state, which did not appoint them ambassadors, MPs or ministers, but left them in positions of responsibility, forgave their insults, attacks and slanders, and subsidized their books, magazines and newspapers. And the time-wasters, drunk as they are, lament. They publish newspapers illegally financed by merchants of communism, put out magazines with lurid plans, give speeches and unleash their entire intellectual and human arsenal in attacks against state officials at every level. They are horrified when the country’s president speaks on TV; horrified when the government’s newspapers do not call for the government’s resignation, but instead support it. Everyone who says a good word about the state is called a traitor and a sycophant by the chorus of time-wasters. Everyone who defends the president’s policies is labeled by them, with irony and resentment, a “collaborator of the president.” Their notion of democracy is so extraordinary that they think that, ever since the president of the Republic and the government were elected, everyone, without exception, must write against them, attack them and demand their resignation. To them, the president does not represent the unique unity of the nation but is a shooting target, where the “best marksman” is the “bravest,” the “most Albanian,” the “most democratic,” the “most patriotic.” Physical-education teachers, disgraced physicists, agronomists and journalists who never made a living from their professions are given the label “opposition journalists.” This label carries many privileges. They have the right to insult, curse, slander, threaten and mock, and enjoy untouchable immunity from the law and from God!!! The president is threatened with murder in “ZP”; “letters from the grave” in “KJ” insult and subject hundreds of intellectuals to an immoral inquisition; “Lajmetarja” makes extreme accusations; “Alcana” curses—and no one is allowed to say “that’s enough.” Because they answer in chorus: We are the “opposition”! The state is persecuting us. In the middle of Tirana, a newspaper seller blocks passersby, shouting: “S. Berisha, the greatest enemy of the Albanian people,” and the newspaper of a single owner, instead of apologizing to public opinion, colleagues and the president himself, interviews the “victim of the police state,” as though nostalgically recalling Hoxha’s time. God forgive them! These people have wasted their time! About 260 km from the Albanian parliament, you hear that at that moment an actor-MP has attacked someone in parliament, apparently thinking he should not have. He is upset because someone has insulted a person, a family, an electorate. He has seen nothing happen, because he treats what is true—and truth itself—as though only what suits him is true. There is no truth outside him. And, for such time-wasters, I should not—or rather, must not—be with my family, but in the parliamentary galleries, waiting for his accusations and insults. People who never had the courage to defend a thousand flies when one disturbed their sleep now come out as the bravest of the brave. A minister is accused of having made no reforms, and as soon as he does, one of the incompetent people he appointed, who unfortunately is a friend of the time-wasters, jumps about like a rooster from one newspaper to another attacking the minister, who is supposedly attacking the opposition and that competent person. But again, we must tell them: God forgive them. These are time-wasters. The sea turned to yogurt, and the theorists emerged from the ranks of the MPB, KQPSH, BRPSH, BP or the former State Security. The head of Tirana’s spies appears and accuses two or three people, then makes his way to America. And from there he complains that a dictatorship has been established in Tirana! The present government is the first Albanian government in decades that is fighting corruption, both on the ground and within its own ranks. But the time-wasters are not satisfied with that. At any cost, they want the State Audit to accuse the prime minister, the president and the PSDH of corruption; otherwise, they say, corruption is not being tackled. And in a way they are right, because, being themselves immersed in dirty-money operations, they cannot imagine how their opponents could possibly not have stolen. That is their idea of the state: “the Reds”—and so, there are time-wasters. They have wasted their time, and so they run in search of it. Their running takes them all the way to Belgrade, even though their steps unsettle the minds and hearts of millions of Albanians, even though… And the day after Belgrade, they urge the Kosovars to take part in the Serbian elections and abandon Rugova and Bukoshi. The day after Belgrade, they went to Athens. And the day after Athens, they hurled tons of insults and slander at Albanian TV because it supports Albanian politicians, not Serbian and Greek ones. And the day after that, they called for President Berisha to be assassinated. And the day after that, the greatest traitor to the Albanian people now… God forgive their stupidity, if it is stupidity.

OPINIONS What was your wish for ’94? With this question, we conducted a survey of conversations, and these are some of them: Shpëtim Osaku: The year 1993 gave me the opportunity to do things that were unusual. This is because, in a period of economic growth and a good step forward—at least as I see it—after 10 years. The fast pace of life today, with its stress and greater demands, makes it necessary to steer things in a positive direction, for people’s future and for things to go well. The year 1993 was a very costly year. The future of this question in 1993, in years of work, was very important, and 1993 was the year 1993. Was 1994 a year?... - What was 1993 like for you? - What is 1993 like for you? - How did you experience 1993, and what about the future? In 1993, what had we done?... Answers: ... Prepared by: SHPËTİM LUKU

What will you remember about ’92, and what do you wish for ’94? The Speaker of the People’s Assembly, Mr Arbnori, and the chairmen of the three main parliamentary groups, Messrs Spahia, Dokle and Laço, spoke to “RD” after the final plenary session of ’93. We wished, on an occasion such as the end of the year, to receive sincere messages and greetings from representatives of all the political groupings in the Albanian Assembly. We tried to do so on Wednesday evening, 22.12.1994, after the final plenary session of this year. For objective reasons, we were unable to achieve this aim fully. (Perhaps the time we lost while insisting on getting a statement from MP Dokle also played a part.) Nevertheless, in response to our question, “What will you remember about ’93, and what would you like to wish for ’94?”, we were able to obtain the following comments from the main representatives: PJETER ARBNORI (Speaker of the People’s Assembly): - I will remember 1993 as a year of great work and great struggle. But I am glad that the “struggle” was a struggle in the streets—not street fighting. May fighting in the streets never return! Albania needs peace, democracy and economic development. And all these things are achieved through a battle of ideas, too. There is nothing better or more progressive than disagreement over views and opinions. I am very pleased with the work of the Assembly. I think the MPs have done extraordinarily demanding and exhausting work. At times I have even had to quarrel with them. I have reprimanded them, although in my conscience I know that they have often been tired, too. We have passed more than 220 laws. And this truly represents a great deal of work by this democratic Assembly! In ’94 we will again have very necessary laws. We will try to pass well-crafted laws that will help Albania take decisive steps in economic reform, in drafting and “adopting” the Constitution, and in taking the final step toward joining the place to which we belong and which is all the more rightfully ours now: Europe. ALI SPAHIA (Chairman of the DP parliamentary group): - It was a good year for Albania. Naturally, the difficulties are great and there are many problems to solve, but according to data from the World Bank and the IMF, Albania had the best economic-development indicators of all the former communist countries. The parliament did a great deal of work in passing the legal framework within which the economic trend and other social developments in Albania also took place. The DP achieved great success in restructuring and consolidating itself as a centre-right party. We hope that all these results will develop even further in the coming year. We hope that Albania will take its rightful place in the Council of Europe, and that the functioning of democracy and the democratic parliamentary system will be consolidated even further. We hope that in 1994 many of the difficulties we face today will find solutions. NAMIK DOKLE (Chairman of the PS parliamentary group): - I refuse to give you an interview because I don’t have time. Goodbye! TEODOR LAÇO (Chairman of the PSD parliamentary group): - As far as parliamentary life is concerned, ’93 will bring back many pleasant moments, because the parliament really passed many laws during this year. It is positive that some of them were passed by consensus. I would also recall our group’s efforts to save the peace around the Constitution. Unfortunately, because of our coalition in the Constitutional Drafting Commission, the work on it was wasted, and it was left for ’94. Politically, ’93 marked Albania’s closer approach to the world, increasing the attention and assistance we receive from the West. Nevertheless, many problems remain unresolved in consolidating democracy, which is a very difficult process, especially given the social system from which we have emerged. But the movement and the work and efforts of the progressive parties for democracy, in my opinion, are growing ever stronger and are seeking new, more fruitful forms of cooperation. Personally, despite my age, I consider myself a young politician, and this politically tense year was also very useful to me in enriching my political experience. I also have a particular personal satisfaction from this year: I managed to finish a novel, so I did not break away from literary work. The novel is entitled “A Bitter Year.” Unfortunately, I can’t now find a powerful sponsor to speed things up for ’94. I would wish for 1994 to bring as much prosperity as possible to Albanians, which has good prospects, since the legislative foundation on which we are now moving forward is quite promising, especially as regards the provision of land in the countryside. I would wish for more foreign investment, as well as greater stability in the Government so that the most powerful enterprises can be put into operation, such as those in the food industry, which employ a larger number of people. I would wish for greater understanding and cooperation among Albanian political forces, and for as many laws as possible to be passed by consensus. I would also wish for favourable and positive developments on our national question, which remains open. Thank you! RAKIP SULÇE

SARANDË. - To make the New Year holiday as enjoyable as possible, the Municipality of Sarandë has taken a series of measures. The mayor, Shtyrë Boci, told ATSH that, in addition to ensuring an uninterrupted supply of electricity and drinking water for the town and the five villages covered by the municipality, several venues will be made available to residents on New Year’s Eve: the “Burrat” cinema-theatre, the servicemen’s cultural centre, the new discotheque, the Albturizëm premises and the youth entertainment centre. Work has also been coordinated with traders and various private companies to supply the market with the goods families need for the holiday, such as meat, fruit and various drinks, children’s toys, etc. These days, the number of emigrants returning—mainly from Greece—to spend New Year with their families is reaching 2,000. (ATSH)

SHKODËR. - After being closed for several months, the city’s only discotheque has reopened in Shkodër. It will operate during this New Year period for everyone who wishes to celebrate in cheerful company. Besides the discotheque, at least 10 other private venues will be available to the people of Shkodër and their guests. These very establishments, with their high standard of service, have encouraged a considerable number of young people and families to celebrate this holiday away from home this time. (ATSH)

- We cannot control loss; we cannot be forgiven for forgetting! On Sunday, 26 December 1993, the National Theatre experienced moments of a poignant memorial. In a simple but meaningful ceremony on “the day of the fir trees,” in the presence of stage artists, 16 fir trees were planted in the courtyard of the National Theatre as a memorial to the performers. The following artists’ names can be read on the 16 fir trees: Ibro Kovaci, Mihal Popi, Pjetër Gjakina, Marie Logoreci, Sandër Prosi, Naim Frashëri, Kujtim Shabajlli, Pandi Rahidi, Mihal Stefan, Andon Malo, Andon Pano, Prokop Mibza, Zina Andri, Besim Leponjaki, Behet Nelku. Among other things, these words were spoken at the memorial: We cannot control loss; we cannot be forgiven for forgetting! MENTOR SHEHU

PESHKOPI. - The number of residential apartments privatized in the city of Peshkopi has reached 2,100 out of a total of 2,300. However, in 20 cases payment has been made only in part. Another 80 apartments will be privatized in the coming days; the necessary documentation has been prepared for them. Around 120 apartments remain, and apparently their ownership will not change soon; they are connected with problems involving former landowners and the recognition of this ownership in accordance with the law. (ATSH)

DURRËS. - The number of passengers travelling by ferry from Italy, Slovenia and Croatia to the port of Durrës has tripled now that the New Year is approaching. An ATSH correspondent learned from the Adria agency that the number of Albanian passengers in recent weeks has risen from 500 to around 1,000 per ferry. Eight ferries a week operate from Italy on behalf of this agency, and several others serve the Alban, Shpresa and Talmor agencies. More than 60 percent of Albanians returning to celebrate New Year with their families arrive in cars, buses or trucks; these are among the many other vehicles that reach the port of Durrës. The ATSH correspondent also learned that in recent days many citizens from Macedonia and Kosovo, employed in various European countries, have returned through the port of Durrës. (ATSH)