ON DEEPENING THE MEASURES FOR THE REVOLUTIONIZATION OF THE LIFE OF THE PARTY AND THE WHOLE COUNTRY
— Decision of the 9th Plenum of the Party Central Committee —
The 9th Plenum of the Party CC held its proceedings on 22 and 23 January 1990. Relying on the speech delivered by comrade Ramiz Alia, it examined the problems that had emerged in implementing the decisions of the 8th Plenum and set out the tasks for further revolutionizing the life of the Party and the whole country, through deepening socialist democracy, increasing the role of the working masses and improving economic relations.
At this meeting, the Central Committee made an in-depth analysis of current developments in the countries of Eastern Europe, also defining its positions toward them.
The Central Committee noted:
1. The political changes that have taken place in Eastern Europe, in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, the GDR, Bulgaria and Romania, brought right-wing forces to power. The bourgeoisie and international reaction seek and work to destroy there everything that might recall socialism. In bourgeois propaganda, the socialist ideal has been declared anachronistic. Reaction presents communism as a threatening spectre not to the bourgeoisie, but to the people.
The counterrevolutionary process in the countries of the East was carried out at the instigation and with the intervention of Western reaction and the Soviet Union. But it was also supported by the working masses, who were misinformed by revisionist rule, its bureaucracy and violence, and economic stagnation. The evil is that the peoples of these countries experienced these phenomena as products of the socialist system, of Marxism-Leninism.
Our Party has rightly focused, in its titanic struggle against revisionism, on tearing off its “socialist” masks and exposing its “Marxist” sophistry. The Albanian communists understood and fought as best they could, with whatever means and strength they had, so that people would understand the danger of compromising socialism and its revolutionary ideology and policy. But the tragedy happened. We experience this tragedy with pain, but certainly without despair.
Enver Hoxha emphasized that one of the principal sources that influenced the birth and development of revisionism was bureaucratism and liberalism. Now that more than three decades have passed since revisionism first appeared, a more profound analysis of this phenomenon would allow us to correctly identify those mechanisms of the socialist system that should have played a greater role in strengthening it, but were neglected.
In the Soviet Union, they understood that bureaucratism was growing and posed a great danger. But there they fought bureaucratism not through its opposite—that is, by increasing the role of the masses and strengthening socialist democracy—but by strengthening and perfecting the administration, regulating every aspect of the activity of the Party, the state and social relations, and increasing vertical centralization. Soviet liberalism, too, was fought mainly by administrative means. Dogma, rather than the confrontation of ideas and arguments, was set against it; general principles, rather than the resolution of problems. This created the conditions for individuals and groups of people, especially among the intelligentsia, to become alienated from socialism. Here the bourgeoisie found the dissidents; here the revisionist clique found its social base.
2. The international bourgeoisie, including the Soviet leadership, seeks to bring about in Albania the same counterrevolutionary processes that took place in Eastern Europe. To this end, numerous pressures have been and will be applied. Although the demands are cloaked in slogans about democracy, human rights, etc., the objective is to overthrow people’s power and liquidate our independence, freedom and socialist achievements.
The leadership of the Central Committee emphasizes that the Albanian people will defend the freedom and independence won with blood, and socialism, as their most precious possessions, resolutely, by every means and without hesitation. Our people have chosen their own path of development and will allow no one to interfere in their internal affairs. They, and no one else, know what must be done for the process of socialist construction to keep moving forward. In Albania, the Albanian people are in charge; they alone are sovereign over their destiny.
3. Socialist construction in our country has made great strides forward. We have now entered a new front, a new phase of intensive development. This is a qualitative phase in which qualitative factors emerge increasingly, making it essential to place them more prominently in the foreground. These developments make it necessary to improve the work of the Party, the state and the economy, and to increase the role of the masses, so that they can fully meet the demands of the time and strengthen the positions of socialism and the achievements made under the conditions that have arisen.
Taking into account the tasks set by the 8th Plenum of the CC, assessing the achievements and the demands of the present time, and drawing lessons from the events in the countries of the East, with the aim of ensuring the continuity of socialism, the freedom and independence of the homeland, the 9th Plenum of the Central Committee unanimously
DECIDED:
I
To strengthen the domestic political and economic situation so as to withstand external pressures, whether political, military or economic. The masses must be explained that the bourgeoisie and international reaction, as the events in Eastern Europe show, aim to destroy socialism and restore the order of oppression and exploitation, liquidate the freedom that has been won, and abolish national independence and sovereignty.
The fundamental tasks currently facing the Party are:
1. To improve and intensify the Party’s political and propaganda work. It is essential that our people understand the essence of the struggle being waged today against socialism in general, and our country in particular. Behind demagogic slogans, such as those about protecting human rights, political pluralism, developing democracy, etc., lies the counterrevolutionary aim of reaction and the bourgeoisie: to wrest from the people the freedom and rights won through so much blood and sacrifice.
Improving the Party’s political work requires increasing and expanding its ties with the working masses, in the countryside and in the cities, while discarding every manifestation of formalism, officialdom and bureaucratism. In particular, the mass organizations—the Democratic Front, BRPSH, BPSH, BGSh, as well as other social organizations—must be made more active.
The press, radio and television, and the Party’s propaganda must fundamentally improve their work so that the Party’s message reaches the masses as well and as quickly as possible, conveyed not through slogans and general phrases, but through convincing and understandable arguments.
The Party’s most responsible and qualified cadres, as well as specialists and activists from various fields, must take an active part in propaganda work.
2. To increase revolutionary vigilance in order to withstand the various pressures, provocations and hostile actions directed against socialism and our homeland by its enemies.
Every Party committee and organization must judge and decide for itself how to implement measures to strengthen vigilance in its sector under the conditions that have arisen.
3. To increase efforts and mobilize workers to fulfil plan targets in industry, agriculture, construction, transport, culture, etc. Particular attention must be paid to export plans, which must be fulfilled on time and to the required standard. Under the conditions that have arisen, a spirit of thrift and innovation must be encouraged, costs reduced and productivity increased. Communists must everywhere be at the forefront and set an example for all workers.
The plans concerning food and clothing for the people must be fulfilled. Nothing can justify the absence from the markets of vegetables, milk, or even meat in any city. The decisions adopted regarding the collective yard, increasing meat production, etc., must be implemented creatively and persistently. The same must be done for the output of light industry and the food industry. Fulfilling tasks in these areas must also be understood as an important political matter; therefore, no negligence must be tolerated, either by central authorities or by local ones.
II
To further revolutionize the life of the Party and the whole country. In this context, strengthening the Party and its entire core is a constant task, because the Party is the leading force of the country, to which are bound the present and future of socialism, and of the freedom and independence of the homeland.
Preserving the leading role of the Party of Labour is a basic condition for continuing socialist construction in Albania.
In the conditions of our country, the international bourgeoisie’s slogans about a multi-party system are calls for the revival of “Balli Kombëtar” and “Legaliteti”, or for the creation of new anti-people, anti-democratic and anti-national organizations. This would lead to the weakening of national unity, the loss of independence and the destruction of socialism.
The absence of many parties does not mean an absence of democracy. Our own reality demonstrates this. Our Party, nourished by the wisdom of the people’s ideas and thought, has, through various channels—especially by means of workers’ direct participation in political life and in preparing and implementing the country’s economic and cultural development plans, and by discussing every issue with them—created conditions for a comprehensive enhancement of the role of the masses and socialist democracy.
Nevertheless, the question of the mass line and of increasing the role of workers, in the city and the countryside, in every sphere of the country’s life—which is also the essence of socialist democracy—must always remain at the centre of attention of Party and state organs. Their continuous improvement is the basis for keeping the revolutionary spirit alive and strengthening it.
The fundamental tasks in this field are:
1. As a rule, meetings of the Party’s basic organizations must be held openly, allowing every non-Party member of the collective to participate if they wish. This creates conditions for the activities and decisions of basic organizations and communists to be known directly by the masses, and thus for their effectiveness and results to be monitored. Open meetings help make them schools of education both for communists and for the working masses, for all those connected with the cause of the people and socialism.
2. The principle of elections must be established not only for those cadres provided for by the Constitution of the Republic and the Party Statute, and for mass and socio-economic organizations, but also for directors of enterprises, factories, institutes and various institutions, schools, etc. Without the approval of the respective collectives, no cadre in these categories may be appointed by higher organs.
Workers’ collectives that have the right to elect also have the right to recall—that is, to dismiss any cadre. This measure must be confirmed by the higher body within 10–15 days.
3. Competitions must be used extensively as a way of appointing cadres and specialists, especially in cultural, educational and scientific institutions, the press and television, and certain other fields. Each ministry or institution shall establish the necessary rules according to the nature of the work and the ideological and professional requirements.
The Political Bureau is charged with determining, within February 1990, which cadres are to be dismissed and recommending the procedure both for this and for competitions.
4. The terms of office of cadres elected in this way must be limited as follows: for secretaries of basic organizations and Party bureaus, to 4–5 consecutive years; for members of Party committees and district people’s councils, to 2–3 consecutive terms; and for deputies to the People’s Assembly and members of the Party Central Committee, to 2–3 legislatures or congresses. In every case, for a third term, a candidate must have secured at least two-thirds of the votes against an alternative candidate.
The practice of limiting a person’s re-election is also recommended for mass organizations and literary, cultural and artistic associations. The Council of Ministers is also advised to establish a limit on the length of time directors of economic enterprises may hold the same post. The same may be decided by the assemblies of agricultural cooperatives for their cadres.
At the end of every legislature, and at every Party or social-organization conference or congress, at least one-third of the membership of elected bodies must be replaced.
5. The procedure for electing bodies of power must be further improved, both at the stage of presenting and discussing candidacies and at the final vote. Thus, in deciding which candidacy to put forward, the persons proposed by social organizations must be discussed. The Democratic Front may submit for discussion, for one seat, one or more candidates, as appropriate. After they have been discussed and selected, the people may decide to proceed to a vote with one or two candidates for one seat, whether for councillors or deputies to the People’s Assembly.
The relevant state organs must take measures to ensure that the conditions are in place in every case and that the law on the secrecy of the ballot is observed.
For Party elections, too, the practice of putting forward and voting on more candidates than the number of positions to be filled must be followed.
6. To strengthen the fight against bureaucratism, measures must be taken to further reinforce workers’ control over everyone and everything. All formal restrictions and so-called rules that have in fact obstructed the effective exercise of workers’ control must be eliminated. It must be given full powers so that the voice and action of the working class can be decisive in the struggle against alien manifestations, bureaucratism and liberalism, breaches of discipline, etc.
The Secretariat of the Central Committee is charged with drawing up the necessary recommendations so that this important mechanism, which must be set in motion by BPSH, becomes a revolutionary force with decision-making powers.
III
For the improvement of socialist legislation.
Achievements in this field are well known. Our legislation is fully constitutional, democratic and popular. Our laws express the people’s interests, both in their content and in their implementation.
Given the need to improve this legislation in line with the rising cultural level of workers and their consciousness and legal education, the 9th Plenum also recommends the following measures:
1. Measures must be taken to guarantee citizens legal protection, both during investigations and in judicial proceedings, in every case in which they request it, in accordance with the rights granted to them by the Constitution.
2. The institutions of legal and judicial rehabilitation and of early conditional release must be studied and implemented as forms of administering justice for certain categories of criminal offences and convicted persons who subsequently demonstrate good conduct in society.
3. State organs should be advised, taking into account the expansion of state activity, the increasing difficulty of codifying legal activity, etc., to establish a Ministry of Justice.
4. The law on village, city and neighbourhood courts must be reviewed and improved, defining them as social bodies without the right to impose criminal penalties.
All these matters are to be prepared for the next session of the People’s Assembly.
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