Communism was a real occupation “RD” responds to the Albanian Helsinki Committee

The new leaders of PDSH branches invited to “RD” Interview with the chairman of the PD branch in Durrës, Mr. Ferdinand Xhaferri

EDI PALOKA The elections of 22 March 1992, bringing the PD to power with an absolute majority, also brought about the realization of the great overturning that began in September ’90. 22 March was the day when Albania stopped its headlong plunge toward the abyss and turned its face toward where the eye could make out, even if far away, the light of hope. Today it seems that some people have quickly forgotten the days and nights of the dictatorship; they have forgotten the dark year of ’91. But... whoever forgets is destined to return to where they were. In less than a year, Albanians will once again be obliged to go to the ballot boxes. This fact has led many opposition parties to begin a fierce election campaign already. In fact, the PS seems never to have stopped its campaign—a campaign begun by R. Alia in 1990 and continued to this day, a campaign of attacks against the PD and democratic forces. In fact, political struggle is a struggle between alternatives and their implementation. On this basis, the PD, as a party designated by history to ... “evildoers.” The expressions “In E. Hoxha’s time we were better off” are not simply ordinary outbursts. But this is precisely the policy that has also brought about their repeated failures. Every 2–3 months PS leaders declared that early elections were coming, turning themselves into political charlatans in the eyes of the entire public. When the draft constitution was rejected on 6 November, the PS leaders and mentors sought only to send a message to the PD and the government—a message that was correctly understood and would very soon bring positive changes in the administration of politics and the PD’s governance. It is understandable that a party coming to power for the first time, without experience, and which must moreover carry out a genuine political, economic and social transformation, will also make mistakes. It was ... Albania achieved in 6 months: Legislative and institutional reform Approved: - THE CRIMINAL CODE - THE CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE - The Labour Code - The Customs Tariff Code - The law on the purchase and sale of land - The law on the new tax system, the Value Added Tax Act - The Law on Notaries - The law transforming state enterprises into commercial companies - The State Budget Law - The decree reducing compulsory military service to one year - The law on privatizing pastures and forests - The public procurement law - The law on investments - The competition and antimonopoly law - The concessions law An extraordinary achievement was the recent resolution of Albania’s external debt problem. Albania was forgiven $400 million of the debt that the former Socialist rulers had left to the democratic government. It should be borne in mind that the resolution of this debt was the result of the government’s work and, at the same time, an expression of the confidence of foreign partners—a political act that demonstrates their appreciation of the path of development Albania has chosen. Nevertheless, the greatest and most spectacular achievement was Albania’s unanimous admission as a full member of the Council of Europe. The centuries-old dream of Albanians to be in Europe as equals among equals, to have our say like everyone else, was finally realized. Albania was at last freed from the dilemma of East or West; it is a member of the European family. But these achievements, like all the other achievements that were once part of the PD program and the aspiration of all those Albanians who dreamed of a developed, democratic Albania, have faced the nihilism and destructiveness of the leaders of the Albanian opposition. However, bound by the principle that the PD’s victories are their failures, the PS leaders had no choice but to cash in on the latter. One of their peculiarities is that they do not know how to turn a defeat into a lesson. If the PS were led by normal people, it would have changed course long ago and shown the Albanian electorate that it knows how to be a constructive opposition too. But people like Pellumbi, Ruci, Dokle and Hajdaraga cannot do that. Desperate over their failures and in a complete crisis of alternatives, they are going even further to extremes. With Marx’s principles in hand and their sole “alternative for the future”—the call “Free Nano”—on their lips, the PS leaders think they can seize power through a “proletarian revolution,” but they are gravely mistaken. They are showing Albanians that they neither know how nor want to renew themselves, and so they will get the response they are asking for. ’96 is approaching, and for Albanians the time is nearing when “they must choose between alternatives,” at a time when even today the only absolutely positive alternative remains that of the PDSH.

The people of Korçë and Pogradec boycott the far left The people of Korçë and Pogradec, known for their democratic culture and tradition, are boycotting the far left and its anti- and unlawful calls, and its attempts to defend the criminal Fatos Nano. In Pogradec, about 50 people, former State Security agents, were waiting for the arrival of Pellumbi, Dokle and Angjeli, who, as soon as they arrived, grabbed the megaphone and called on citizens to come closer and demonstrate. Abandoned, and met with the irony and ridicule of the people of Pogradec, the PS leaders were forced to go into their headquarters, where the Marxist Pellumbi delivered a speech praising the deeds of Hoxha and Alia. In Korçë, the attempts to disrupt public order were more organized. Hajdaraga, Pandeli and Cokerkuan sought a confrontation with the law-enforcement forces and the citizens of Korçë. With the competent authorities failing to act, PS supporters, followed by several dozen thugs, State Security agents and family members, disturbed the peace of citizens who were strolling, indifferent to the extremist calls. The people of Korçë sent them off with the chant “Y Y.” This failure was accompanied by ... The iron Marxist Servet Pellumbi According to the daily newspaper, this was the speech delivered to the people of Pogradec. Servet Pellumbi did not give any speech in the square or in any other place in the city of Pogradec. Humiliated by his failure and with a pre-prepared film in his pocket (approved also by the Bënça Prison), and with the slogan “communists do not surrender,” Servet Pellumbi gathered around 20 former State Security agents at the PS headquarters in the city and read the speech. This was followed by a festive cocktail party. The PS leaders should hold mass rallies in the districts, protesting and demanding the release of an innocent child. They will lead mass rallies in the districts. Alongside Nano’s portrait, the PS leaders will also carry the portrait of the PS “driver.” The driver of PS deputy chairman Hajdaraga seriously injures a 12-year-old child The PS deputy chairman, comrade Hajdar-agaj, apparently had only one concern: breaking the law. His car, and those of other PS MPs, was being driven by a former State Security agent without proof of driving qualifications (a licence), and who was completely drunk. This vehicle “driver” (who apparently is Hajdaraga’s or his colleagues’ bodyguard) seriously injures a child on the outskirts of the city of ... Another deception by the PS leadership and ZP Yesterday, too, ZP misinformed its readers, claiming that permission had supposedly been obtained three days earlier from the Korçë police station to hold the rally at the “Tamara Nikolla” Sports Palace. According to ZP, an order issued two days later by Commissioner Korfuzi had annulled the first one, forcing the far left to take to the streets. Inquiries at the Korçë police station show that it never granted the PS permission for the gathering, since the requirements of the decree on assemblies and demonstrations had not been met. This is another deception ZP has perpetrated on its readers. The example had been set by Pellumbi and his associates, who sought to incite the people of Korçë, cause unrest and disrupt public order. Alongside ... ... of the citizens and the competent authorities, the law of the competent authorities, only “for him” ... His car and those of other PS deputies were being driven by a former Sigurimi agent without a driver’s license and drunk. This driver (who appears to be Hajdaraga’s or his colleagues’ bodyguard) seriously injured a 10–12-year-old child on the outskirts of the city of Korçë; the child is hospitalized in serious condition. The competent authorities arrested the perpetrator of this incident yesterday, but it is expected (according to sources within the PS) that this driver, without a license and drunk, who caused the accident ... ... gatherings and demonstrations. This was another deception ZP perpetrated on its readers. Pellumbi and his associates had set the example, seeking to deceive In addition to the defeat suffered by the far left in Pogradec and Korçë, it and the communist rag ZP must answer for breaking the law and deceiving public opinion. VLADIMIR GOLKA

Yesterday, the newspaper “Zeri i Popullit” published the demagogue’s speech, ...

Namik Dokle, “Populli Po,” August 12, 1995, states: “What Berisha assumes about secret alliances between the Socialist Party and the Democratic Party is a deliberate misunderstanding of the Socialist Party’s statement that we can also cooperate with a moderate section of the Democratic Party, always with a moderate section of it. As regards an alliance with the PS, we have said plainly and openly about Berisha’s PD: There will be no alliance with such a far-right party...” Meanwhile, Servet Pellumbi, “Zeri i Popullit,” February 15, 1995, states: “It would be a miracle for Albanian democracy to achieve a grand coalition, a stable coalition between the left and the center-right, like the one that has been in power for days in Switzerland...” It is clear that the PS deputy chairman Namik Dokle’s statement is against the PS’s No. 1 deputy chairman, Servet Pellumbi. Pellumbi calls the “grand coalition” a miracle. Yet in the same issue of the newspaper in question, Dokle returns once again to the old refrain of the PS’s and Mr. Selami’s views on the constitution. Only when it came time to say so did they admit that these views had failed. Albania was admitted to the Council of Europe, even though the Albanian left made considerable efforts to prevent its entry into Europe. As for alliances, Dokle should know very well that the PD, ever since its founding, has considered—and will always consider—an alliance with the PS a genuine betrayal of national ideals. For the PD, agreeing to an alliance with Albanian Marxists is just like consorting with the devil. Dylejman Karaj ... bread, they have stopped this campaign, which R. Alia started in 1990 and has continued to this day—the implementation. On this basis, the PD, as a party whose role in changing Albania’s fate was determined by history, prepared its program, which in March ’92 would receive nearly 70% of the Albanian electorate’s votes. Communism was dealt a crushing political blow, but it had to be shaken off as a concept in every respect—not only politically, but also economically and socially. The complete overhaul of legislation, the introduction of market-economy concepts, and liberation from total, hermetic isolation in foreign policy were the points on which the PD initially focused politically. The program that the PD presented to the electorate was truly an extremely ambitious one. It required total commitment and the dedication of the people who would take direct responsibility for implementing it, while also requiring the understanding and support of all Albanians. In fact, time showed that the majority of Albanians supported the reforms undertaken by the democratic government, despite the hardship those reforms brought during the transition. Unfortunately, Albanian politics saw two opposing developments that in no way can be considered two opposing alternatives. While the PD committed itself to implementing its program, the opposition—and especially the Socialist opposition—engaged wholly in attacks, with its sole “political alternative” being destructiveness. Throughout the developments of these three years, two lines stand out: the PD building, and an opposition trying at all costs to obstruct and destroy everything positive. The entire policy of the opposition in Albania has been based on destructiveness. Unable to offer constructive alternatives, they try to sacrifice the landmarks. By obstructing at every turn, by bringing out ... and denying what they can never obstruct or create, the opposition’s leaders seek to foster support and dissatisfaction among the people. Unable to show ... [text cut off]

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Legislative and institutional reform Approved: - THE CRIMINAL CODE - THE CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE - The Labour Code - The Customs Tariff Code - The law on the purchase and sale of land - Tax Act - The Law on Notaries - The law transforming state enterprises into commercial companies - The State Budget Law - The decree reducing compulsory military service to one year - The law on privatizing pastures and forests - The public procurement law - The law on investments - The competition and antimonopoly law - The concessions law

- RESOLUTION OF THE FOREIGN DEBT: 400 MILLION DOLLARS FORGIVEN TO ALBANIA - The Law on Notaries - The law transforming state enterprises into commercial companies - The State Budget Law - The decree reducing compulsory military service to one year - The law on privatizing pastures and forests - The public procurement law - The law on investments - The competition and antimonopoly law - The concessions law - The laws on the distribution and use of securities, etc. - The issuance, distribution and putting into effective use of privatization vouchers. - Around 2,000 enterprises were privatized, the majority through auctions and paid for to a large extent with securities. The mass privatization process is continuing intensively. - Inflation is at the lowest level in Europe, at 1.3. - Agricultural production this year has increased by 15.3%. - Mining production has increased by 11%. - Exports have risen by around 50%, while imports have risen by around 35%. - The total wage fund increased by over 10%. - Citizens’ deposits have increased by almost 20%. - A considerable number of economic agreements have been signed. - A series of projects have begun and continue to be implemented throughout the country in construction, roads, water supply, irrigation, telecommunications, including the completion of the first kilometres of Albania’s first motorway, Tirana–Durrës. - Work is underway to compensate former owners as quickly as possible with land on the coast. - In foreign policy - ALBANIA IS UNANIMOUSLY ACCEPTED AS A FULL MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE - Within the framework of “Partnership for Peace,” Albania’s relations with NATO and the USA are closer than those of all the eastern countries. Their results include a number of joint exercises and exchanges of high-level delegations. - Broad European support for negotiations on the Association Agreement with the EU. - The President of the USA and the Pentagon invite the President of the Republic of Albania for an official visit to Washington. - Visits to Albania by several heads of state, including German President Herzog, Austrian President Klestil, Turkish President Demirel and Romanian President Iliesku. - Official meetings of President Berisha with heads of state and senior figures from international organizations, both inside and outside Albania. - Visits by the Speaker of the Albanian Parliament to Strasbourg and Italy. - Prime Minister Meksi’s visits to Moscow. - A series of visits by Albanian government officials around the world and by foreign government officials to Albania. - Numerous cooperation agreements in various fields with the USA, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Russian Federation, the Kingdom of Sweden, Turkey, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Malta, etc. ... [text continues below] ... very quickly they managed to present the November vote as their political vote. The truth is that a good part of those who voted “No” on the 6th ... it was also impossible for all the people who would work in the administration of the democratic government to be selected one by one without making a mistake about anyone. Thus, there were mistakes too (and it is normal that there may be ...