Declares Kristine Fon Kol

Rusvelt, the man with one leg who got America on its feet

With the approval in the People’s Assembly of the decree of the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, on the issuance and distribution of privatization vouchers, another point of the DP’s economic program for the transition to a market economy is beginning to be implemented. Another major step is being taken toward realizing the social program of the DPA. The approved decree is a decree of equal opportunities, of deepening the privatization process by broadening participation in it, and of turning Albanians into the rightful owners of what belongs to them. Privatization vouchers give Albanians the opportunity to use them to become shareholders in commercial companies that will be created through the privatization of state enterprises, to buy specific assets of state enterprises that will be privatized, and to become shareholders in investment companies dealing in securities. Albanians, among the poorest in Europe, amid foreign aid systematically plundered for 50 years by the totalitarian regime of the incomparable [?] dictatorial, anti-reform, anti-democratic-system socialist-communist leadership, as well as by coordination with the tools of their sister parties. The anti-reformers sought to kill the hope of a people, its faith, its future. The anti-reformers failed. The DP’s economic program transformed the completely collapsed centralized socialist economy into a market economy. The major objective was achieved. Albania, with 730 thousand unemployed, a 40% decline in production, the fatal 80% law, and 60% of its budget coming from foreign aid, is now, after these three years, the Albania with the highest economic growth in Europe, with over 55% of GDP coming from the private sector, inflation reduced more than 25-fold, liberalized prices, growing citizens’ deposits, over 600 thousand farms in the countryside, foreign investment, etc. Today’s Albania is on a path proven successful by the developed Western democracies. Mass privatization through privatization vouchers delivers to Albanians their due equal opportunities to be active participants in this process. This ... Pellumbi, Dokle and Gjinushi’s henchmen, with their anti-reform course, come out against the issuance and distribution of privatization vouchers. Last night, once again, the anti-reform leadership bloc, inspired by Marxist teachings, deeply infected by the communist virus of collectivization and state centralism, and directed by Pellumbi and Gjinushi, lashed out fiercely against the approval of President Sali Berisha’s decree “On the Issuance and Distribution of Privatization Vouchers.” But the votes of the Democratic Party deputies in favor of this decree—which represents a major act in deepening economic reform by creating equal opportunities for all Albanians to integrate with dignity into the currents of the market economy—caused the ominous scenarios of Pellumbi, Dokle, Gjinushi & Co. to fail. The lengthy speeches, prepared in advance by the tried-and-tested communist press staff and read aloud by Apostoli, Cani, Çuçi, Bej, Rakaj, Imami, etc., with typically Bolshevik arguments, attempted to convince the deputies of the “dangers” supposedly contained in the approval of ... this decree, which in fact expresses and fulfills another promise that the DP made to its electorate in 1992. Viewed from this perspective, and given the great opportunities this decree creates for broad sections of the population to reap the fruits of their years of hard work, the concern of this anti-reform leadership is in line with the entirely destructive and destabilizing course this political clique has followed to date. Their political platform to block and obstruct economic reform and the establishment of democratic processes as a whole is an adequate expression of the contempt they have for the democratic system and the equal opportunities it creates. Last night, when Dokle and Pellumbi saw that their attempts to prevent the decree from being voted on were getting nowhere, they sought to interrupt the session for an “urgent meeting,” where, gathered together around their leadership, they called for the privatization-voucher decree not to be voted on. But, as was plainly seen, they were defeated again last night. Finally, after the bill had been examined and approved in principle, article by article, a vote was also held on its approval in its entirety, and it was passed by a majority of votes. The morning session continued with ... (Continued on page 2) a separate share of the assets of state enterprises to be privatized, who were among the poorest in Europe, at the mercy of foreign aid, systematically plundered for 50 years by the regime, and totally deprived of fair payment for their work, hoped, believed, and overwhelmingly voted for the DP’s program. And the DP kept its word. It fulfilled, and is continuing to fulfill, the agreement made with the electorate. People rightly believed in the new political force, their hope, the Albanian Democratic Party. Neither slander nor unscrupulous attacks could extinguish their hopes and faith,

Pellumbi, Dokle and Gjinushi’s henchmen, with their anti-reform course, come out against the issuance and distribution of privatization vouchers

Is Ruçi defending Dokle or himself? Gramoz Ruçi is perhaps one of the few within the socialist leadership who has spoken in support of Dokle in the now familiar scandal involving 400 thousand dollars. Analysts consider Ruçi’s position enigmatic for the moment. The most credible version is that Ruçi is less concerned about his colleague Dokle than about himself. It is no coincidence that Ruçi, although he tries in interviews and meetings—not in articles in “ZP”—to convince Albanians of his “poverty,” cannot exclude himself from the group of PS leaders whose per-capita incomes have risen substantially. Ruçi has not been discriminated against in seaside property sales or in holiday villas abroad either, naturally for the good of the party’s workers ... Analysts say Ruçi has other reasons for holding such a position. Serious accusations against him concerning involvement in the April massacres may be joined by an accusation of participation in the affair of the missing 400 thousand dollars. Thus, ahead of the detailed preparation of the special issue, Ruçi needs to defend every accusation against his colleagues in order to create the impression that they are all being targeted by the opposition. The aim: save himself. Most recently, according to reports among opposition journalists, Ruçi is preparing his May 1 speech, addressed to the working class. The old and new jokes will not be missing, nor the new vocabulary of bananas, etc.

Hajdaraga has sold out Dokle again. Yesterday, in the newspaper “KU”, in one of the interviews of the “black dye” with which the pile of these unprecedented newspapers is filled, the Socialist leader plays “the ignorant” about the Dokle affair, which, according to documents now published, turns out to involve him in a financial-political scandal at the time when he went as a “strong hand” to lead “ZP” as its editor-in-chief. In response to the journalist’s question, “How has the SP reacted internally to the accusations directed at Mr. Dokle?” Hajdaraga says: “Within the Party, we have taken open positions; we have spoken and continue to speak as party leaders in order to clarify this issue. It has not created any troubling problems in our ranks.” In Hajdaraga’s words, his testimony about the PS as it stands today means that Servet Pellumbi’s distinguished right-hand man, comrade Dokle, is being sacrificed by “his fellow fighters” for the Party’s great cause. says Hajdaraga, implying that Dokle should do whatever he can on his own to emerge “on top” from this affair, with which the PS leadership is filled to the brim. The word “concern” in this case has two sides: first, Dokle is not the only one who has become entangled in this kind of corruption among the Socialist leadership; second, Hajdaraga seems to imply, why should anyone be concerned about Dokle, when he knew the whole PS was involved in organized corruption, while he himself is in it up to his neck! Faced with such logic, Dokle, who is sensible enough to understand that everyone is abandoning him, may call upon his courage as a “great loser” to show the “spendthrifts” where they belong ...

In the morning session The law “On Pastures and Meadows” is approved, and an interpellation is held with Interior Minister Agron Musaraj PAD MP Petrit Kalakula joins the PS MPs in speaking against this law, which provides for the return of property to former owners Yesterday’s plenary session of the People’s Assembly began with consideration and approval of the draft law “On Pastures and Meadows”. At the outset, MPs Shamata, Memia, Baçi, Buffi, and Pëllumbi submitted written questions seeking clarification on the issue of communal pastures and various aspects of this draft law. After the specialists had answered the questions, the floor was opened for a general discussion of the draft law. Speakers included the chairmen P. Kalakula, Fadil Demiraj, Muça, Shamata, T. M. Çeliku, M. Loci, H. Shamata, T. Alimehmeti, V. Sazani, Sh. Memia, A. Alimehmeti, S. Sazani, Q. Luli, A. Osja, Sh. V. Memani, C. Luli, A. Osja, Sh. Hoxha, B. Kopliku, and others. In his speech, MP Kalakula made a clear objection to the draft law, presenting convincing arguments as to how this law returns pastures and meadows to former owners in flagrant violation of Albanian laws. On the reversal of Mr. Kalakula’s position, 40 Kalakula … and … were presented, and the pastures … Foreign investments, the developed Western democracies. Mass privatization through privatization vouchers will ensure that Albanians are duly given equal opportunities to become active participants in this process. This is the foremost objective of this year, which marks the full implementation of the DP’s economic program. The anti-reform strategy will not succeed in preventing implementation of the program voted for by the absolute majority of Albanians. The anti-reformers will not succeed in undermining Albanians’ faith in democracy, Albanians’ faith in democracy. adequate expression of the confidence they have in night, Dokle and Pellumbi, when they saw that their efforts to prevent this decree from being put to a vote were coming to nothing, asked to interrupt the session for an “urgent meeting”. There, gathered tightly to be voted on. But, as became clear, last night too they ended up defeated. EDUARD? GJINI Their political platform ... (Continued on page 2)

Instead of a reply you should be horrified, not ... over the missing 400 thousand dollars You were in the televised debate with Mr. Çela. To tell you the truth, as a comrade in ideals with Mr. Çela, knowing his impulsiveness but also your shamelessness, I thought that fact and argument would be lost on ordinary people amid your performance, but I saw from the very beginning that you lost the case. WHY!!... The discussion concerned a concrete issue: where did the 400 thousand dollars go?! Everyone expected you to do just one simple arithmetic calculation, but you not only failed to do that; you tried to construct an equation with many unknowns and multiple solutions. You spoke and gestured left and right about Mr. Zhulali and the President, and about the Referendum, wanting to say that “it’s not just me; the others have their share too”, and in doing so you did nothing but seal your defeat from the outset. Let me remind you that Mr. Zhulali showed himself to be a man and an Albanian when he declared in Parliament that he was willing to relinquish his MP mandate voluntarily to allow the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate him, unlike what you did. The Referendum did not belong to the DP or the President; it was an issue for the Albanian people, and there are established rules for it. You have surely been horrified by the President’s reputation, intellect, and indisputable achievements as a politician and statesman; that is why you buzz like a bee in a jar against him. What surprised me most was your “distancing” from Enver, Ramiz, Verli, etc. Have you forgotten your Party’s strategy and policy that one must not talk about crimes and figures of the dictatorship, lest the Enverist electorate and the Sigurimi people abandon you? You must have been cornered, Mr. Dokle. We do not know whether your party or your opponents within it will forgive you for this. But the conclusions of this debate became clearer when you defended the Marxist-Leninist Movement (Terrorist) in the World in Enver’s time, which wanted to make Albania the “Center of the International Communist Movement”, when we did not have a plate of beans, when we received only 1 kg of meat a month, 2 bars of soap, 100 gr of coffee; hundreds and thousands of dollars (Continued on page 2)

After the “spies”, “ZP” turns on its own MPs too, calling them “servants” A new word for “traitors” is revealed: casinos EDI PALOKA After attacking ordinary PS members as “spies” and “uncut nails”, yesterday’s “ZP” turned on its own MPs, calling them “servants”. In its lead article, “ZP” publishes a list of MPs who, according to “ZP”, will receive their salaries irregularly, with the Prime Minister’s signature. The “ZP” journalist leaves no stone unturned in writing about the people on the list and, in the end, calls them “servants” (meaning servants of those in power). The biggest surprise is that on the list ... (Continued on page 2)

Yet at ZP, everyone who protested so peacefully on 2 April 1991 in Shkoder is called “thugs and criminals” in 1995. But one thing the graphomaniac ZP and those who publish it should know well: justice may be submerged, but it cannot be drowned. The truth comes to light. Then what is the meaning of someone attacking the judiciary with themes and a provincial mentality that sow regional divisions? ... There are rumors that ZP is taking these paths on Gramoz’s orders. So now, the boy knows who has ZP in his hands? Servet? Gramoz or Namik have it on their lap. B. KASMI From time to time, “ZP” publishes pieces that will be remembered. Yesterday’s attack on the newly appointed head of the Tirana court, Mr. Qazim Gjonaj, was the most brazen and entirely prejudiced of them all: ZP does not like the fact that a jurist who handled the Shkodra trial professionally has been appointed head of the court. This displeasure is no coincidence, just as it is no coincidence that Gramoz Ruçi continues to cling to the chairmanship of the PS tooth and nail, despite being so widely mentioned in connection with the Shkodra massacre of 2 April. ZP’s attack on the people in the justice system is no accident, because

An ostrich-like stance toward the tricks of a pseudoscientist PS propaganda insults its former members who have distanced themselves PAGE 2

Regarding the statement by several Albanian newspapers, published yesterday in several press outlets, the editorial board of “SPORTI” clarifies that it did not participate in the meeting held at the editorial office of the newspaper “Koha Jone”, was not invited by anyone, and neither it nor its editor-in-chief, Besnik Dizdari, signed any kind of statement. We do not understand how it is possible for people in the press, newspaper executives, to take it upon themselves to represent the editorial offices of other newspapers without first obtaining their consent. THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF “SPORTI”

Mr. Dokle, if you are Albanian, you should be horrified, not ...