The Party, which leads with the wisdom of the people’s knowledge and thought, through various means—especially through workers’ direct participation in political life and in drawing up and implementing the country’s economic and cultural development plans by discussing with them every problem of concern to the people—has created conditions for the comprehensive growth of the role of the masses and of socialist democracy. On the basis of this method, our country has achieved successes, and progress is evident and lasting. The discussions and analyses taking place these days on the historic decisions of the 9th Plenum demonstrate the practical benefits of broadly exchanging views at open meetings of Party basic organizations, and of the active participation of Communists and non-Party workers in the decisions made by the collectives of enterprises and institutions to improve the cadres, appoint the most capable, and carry out and exceed all tasks. By examining the problems put forward for solution with political responsibility, people have begun to implement increasingly effective arrangements for work and production. Taken as a whole, the suggestions and concrete solutions are considered useful, because consultation between cadres and Communists and the masses has acquired new value. The personal example of sitting down for an unhurried discussion with ordinary people, the expansion of this broad participation by workers, constitutes the essence of socialist democracy. Further: The task has been set of increasing the export plan. Yet the State Planning Commission distributed the plan arithmetically from above to the ministries, and they in turn distributed it to the districts and enterprises. Where, in this practice, is the opinion of the masses—the very masses who could suggest doing more, if they were consulted in time? Because, ultimately, “beautiful” plans yield no results. It would therefore be better for the corrections—which, on the one hand, deepen the democracy of the masses and, on the other, increase their mobilization and inspiration to achieve realistic objectives—to be made without delay, in keeping with the Party’s work and the interests of the broad mass of workers. For a Communist, a cadre, or a forum to lead well, a first and foremost necessity is to know the Party’s directives well, to know how from the outset to assess questions that science has worked out, to ask the masses whether practice has verified the facts (figures), and to verify and correct what is wrong. Instructions issued by some institution—for example, the seed authorities—in the name of applied science, saying “sow this seed or that one,” without sufficiently taking into account the concrete conditions and the experience of the masses, reveal complacency and arrogance. The time when some people taught everyone everything is now gone. Is this the way to proceed? Others are more worried than they should be about the technical side of the matter, and do not forget, even now after the Plenum, to issue instructions: “Make sure all workers take part in the meetings of the basic organizations.” Yet this is demanded when the Central Committee decision clearly says that these meetings “are held openly, giving every non-Party member of the collective the opportunity to participate if they wish.” It is not surprising that, in an atmosphere of discussion and solidarity, some leading cadres fail to notice the danger posed by crafty bureaucrats. The Committee of Culture and Arts was within its authority to select and appoint a lecturer from the Higher Institute of Arts to its own apparatus at one time, when he had been removed from the Institute as incompetent; but that does not mean one should continue to speculate, sending him “in the name of democratic centralism” to supervise, instruct, and lecture the Institute’s comrades. The decisions made several months ago to reduce so many positions of responsibility are real, but it is just as true that those people remain where they were. If we openly acknowledge this evil, our determination to fight bureaucratism will also be greater and more concrete. Otherwise, bureaucrats will once again vegetate. Therefore, considering these phenomena in light of the demands of the times, a new understanding and stance by the basic organizations and their forums is necessary: to deepen the mass line, revolutionize the Party and the entire life of the country, strengthen mutual trust among Communists, cadres, and non-Party workers, and keep alive and increase everyone’s revolutionary spirit. Bureaucratism is a way of thinking and acting, and it cannot be fought with bureaucratic methods. Its essence is the separation of cadres from the masses, and the way to fight it is its opposite: the strongest and soundest possible connection with them. The point is that every cadre and Communist, in every forum and every apparatus, regardless of how high their position, must not carry out arbitrary actions that could make an ordinary person say: “Are there no laws, no rules for him?” Clearly, a correct directive is not enough to lead; something else is needed as well: in positions of authority and at work, in the economy, and in every field of construction, there must be people who understand democracy and the mass line in their essence; capable people who implement them honestly and conscientiously, and who consider implementation of the decisions of the Party Central Committee’s 9th Plenum a foremost duty to the people and the Party. The Party’s basic organizations and their forums must discuss and act in this healthy spirit. It is important to deeply root the idea that broad consultation with the broad mass of workers on all problems, and respect for their voice, eliminate tutelage and bureaucratic routine. and better, more effective organization of production work. considered useful, because consultation between cadres and the community, on the one hand, and the masses, on the other, has acquired new value. Personal example in holding open discussions with ordinary people and expanding ties with the working masses in the countryside and the city, as Comrade Ramiz Alia emphasizes, while casting aside excessive centralism and manifestations of officialdom and routine that hinder progress, are giving new impetus to qualitative factors on all fronts. Nevertheless, the issue of holding concrete discussions with the masses must always remain at the center of attention of Party and state bodies. We say this because not infrequently some communists and cadres prefer to place their subordinates, and even an entire collective, under bureaucratic tutelage. The mindset of wanting as many powers as possible has made some cadres in ministries and committees so all-powerful that they not only issue orders, but also make decisions contrary to regulations and laws. The Ministry of Light Industry approves unjustified plans for the «Stalin» textile combine, even though the collective, the executive committee of the KP, or the People’s Council of the Tirana District rightly oppose them. Not only the council, but also the Ministry of Food Industry has become accustomed to operating in this way; it soon finds a «solution» with the Ministry of Agriculture for the «Ali Kelmendi» food combine, yet the plans drawn up in offices and laid down for years remain unchanged. Perhaps the figures must not be allowed to fall, and the interests of the economy demand this, but that does not mean these plans should be imposed without being supported, without ensuring that they are carefully examined first. In cases like these, we cannot say that the masses’ opinion and free judgment about production work are being valued. factors on all fronts. what is wrong. Instructions issued by some institute, such as the seed institute, in the name of applied science—«sow this or that seed»—without adequately taking account of the concrete conditions and the experience of the masses, speak of tutelage is now past. To go to a collective or a Party organization as an instructor or secretary, thinking that you alone know how to set things right, means overestimating yourself and, at the same time, disregarding the opinion of the masses. It is an outdated method and practice when, at seminars and meetings on propaganda, livestock farming, agriculture, exports, [unclear], [unclear], seed varieties, and other subjects, conclusions are always delivered solely by the first secretary or the chairman of the executive committee. He cannot be a specialist in every field. It seems to us that here, too, there is tutelage, an attempt to display «erudition». For there are conclusions that can be better provided by a specialist, a person responsible for the agriculture section, a secretary for propaganda, for the economy, and so on. It is enough for their views to be respected, heard, and supported. That would be of great benefit. Our society has achieved comprehensive emancipation. Our devoted people, committed to the cause of the Party and the people, rightly cannot tolerate excessive supervision. The excuse that «I carry out this supervision for the sake of the work, because of the duty I hold» is unacceptable. For example, «When you appoint educators in kindergartens and nurseries,» says an official letter of these days from the Executive Committee of the KP of the District to the executive committees of the KP of the Tirana regions, «you must consult with us.» Does this not speak of tutelage? Does it not mean infringing upon the authority of the ...

Description The houses adorned with white stone, roofed with dark tiles, and the trees—especially the bare vines—make the whole Dropull village of Bodrishta look like an inspired engraving against the leaden sky of this dusky February. Even though you have crisscrossed the village, you still cannot quite say what it is like. You understand and feel that on sunny days, on moonlit nights, in rain and wind, Bodrishta is always beautiful. And it is only its people, their lives, that prompt this thought in you, that speak to you of this village as an immense engraving hanging on the mountainside. You could come up with several descriptive ideas here in Bodrishta. But from the very first, getting to know and meeting the people leads you to a single message: the dignity, the character of the people here. Here is Kosta Verdh(i), a young lad, fair-haired, with grey eyes; the gentle joy in his words makes him a dear portrait. He is a cooperative member whose name stands out on the lists of a production brigade. Yet you can hear the great respect with which Bodrishta’s old people speak of him. Why? What has this boy, so young and fresh-faced, done? He is respected as a worker, but he is not the most distinguished in the area. Radio-Gjirokastra comes to your aid, broadcasting a virtuoso recording of him playing kaba on the clarinet. The Dropull kaba makes even stone rise from its place with that sweet movement and bass that gets the minority girls’ feet moving in the dance. And before you meet Kosta himself, you will find him on the lips of the old people who invite him to their children’s weddings, in the warm words of those who follow him when they see him. Meanwhile, here before us is the talented instrumentalist. Why ask him? How can we find some fact in his life that tells us something about the respect he enjoys? So we ask him a general question. “What can you tell us, Kosta, as a musician—what can you tell us...?” Kosta snatches the words from your mouth and, speaking rapidly in his characteristic way in his native language, says: “Our life has joys, it has joy— (Continued on page 3)

— Almost all collectives in the district of Berat exceeded their targets — Among the worker collectives in the district of Berat with export obligations, the plan for the period January 1–February 10 was exceeded by more than 5.5 million lekë worth of products. Almost all the collectives exceeded their targets. At the oil-processing plant in Qyteti Stalin, production of bitumen and its preparation for export exceeded the plan by 2,000 tons. The textile workers, who also have demanding tasks this year, fulfilled the plan for these weeks at over 101 percent, producing 1,000 square meters of [banim?maku] more than the target. They paid attention to quality. During production, inspection was tightened on the dyeing of the yarn, the combination of color shades on the looms, carding, and the attractive packaging of the finished product. A strong sense of responsibility guided the work at the collection enterprise, where the export plan was fulfilled at 175 percent. Workers in the medicinal-plants department met the standards for selecting sage leaves and placing them in packages of equal weight. At the miscellaneous-products enterprise, the export plan was exceeded by 2 percent, while at the “Koli Myzeqari” enterprise it was exceeded by more than

Photograph: two workers beside a large machine, working with metal parts.

OUR CORRESPONDENTS’ MAIL We withstand the snow and frost — KUKËS — In the district of Kukës, snow has fallen mainly in the high-altitude area, above 350 m. Its depth reaches 15–60 cm. “According to the reports received so far from agricultural economies,” Naim Pacara, chief zootechnician in the agriculture section of the Executive Committee of the District People’s Council, tells us, “work groups have been set up by the presidiums of the cooperatives and agricultural economies to inspect the condition of the salt supplies,”

A drilling rig operated by an expedition whose brigade was led by Xhevahir Vërlaku struck an ore body these days at a depth of 1,300 m. ● A drilling rig operated by an expedition whose brigade was led by Xhevahir Vërlaku struck an ore body these days at a depth of 1,300 m, with a thickness of 4 m. The chromium is of high quality and opens up a new field for exploitation. Meanwhile, at the three chromite mines of Bulqizë, although they met all production indicators in January, they are not reaching the plan’s daily quotas these days. ● Agricultural work is concentrated on several fronts. The task is to make the best possible use of wheeled tractors, but at SMT 14 such tractors remain under repair. ● Good measures for livestock are being taken at some agricultural economies. (Continued on page 2) for livestock, the food supply, and shelter. So far there have been no concerns or damage. The cooperatives of Bushtricë, Çaçes, Borjes, Gjinajt, and Arrnit have taken good measures. (Continued on page 2)

— KORÇË — One of the year’s most important campaigns, work on which has already begun in the district of Korçë, is increasing the irrigated area. The objectives of this campaign are based on the good experience gained last year, when it became possible to build a number of irrigation works in a short time. Just for some— (Continued on page 2)

As part of the activities of Balkan cooperation, the preparatory meeting for the meeting of the energy ministers of the Balkan states begins its work today in Tirana; it will be held in Albania in May of this year. As part of the activities of Balkan cooperation, of the Balkan states begins its work today in Tirana; it will be held in Albania in May of this year. The delegations that have arrived in our country to take part in this meeting include the delegation of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, headed by the Deputy Chairman of the Energy Committee, Dimitar Sokolov, and the delegation of the Hellenic Republic, (Continued on page 4)

The day before yesterday, the «Open Skies» conference concluded in Ottawa, Canada, with the participation of the foreign ministers of the member countries of NATO and the Warsaw Pact. The idea for organizing this conference was put forward by U.S. President Bush last May, thus reviving a proposal made by one of his predecessors in the 1950s, Eisenhower, for an «open sky», as well as the need to ease restrictions and promote détente between the USA and the USSR, East and West. Bush’s idea of having «open skies» for NATO and the Warsaw Pact over one another’s territories came to life. The USSR not only supported Bush’s proposal, but called for it to be taken further. Soviet Foreign Minister Shevarnadze suggested at the Ottawa meeting that there should not only be «open skies», but also «open seas», and so on. The removal of airspace restrictions does not mean limiting military groups; the only impact that the «open skies» program may have could be the verification of armaments and the monitoring of troop movements during maneuvers, etc., by rival military groups. But although it is said that «open skies» will strengthen trust between East and West, the verification process itself signals the opposite spirit. This was also evident in the package of proposals NATO presented in Ottawa, according to which the number of flights would be based on the size of each country. For example, NATO members should be allowed to make 2–3 flights a week over USSR territory, while those of the Warsaw Pact could make about 1 flight a week over American territory. The Soviet foreign minister rejected such a proposal, warning that the «Open Skies» treaty would be worthless if all countries were not allowed an equal number of flights over one another’s territories. SOKOL GJOKA

During the repair of heavy equipment at the Banja hydroelectric complex. (Photo: G. Xhengo - ATSH) During the repair of heavy equipment at the Banja hydroelectric complex. (Photo: G. Xhengo - ATSH)

● DIALOGUE WITH THE MASSES PROVIDES SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS, DEEPENS DEMOCRACY. (p. 1). ● COMMITMENT FILES HAVE NO VALUE WITHOUT THE VOICES OF THE WORKERS. (p. 2). ● THE RESPONSIBILITY WE TAKE UPON OURSELVES WILL BE CARRIED OUT WITH MATURITY AND JUSTICE. (p. 3). ● THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS MAKES KOSOVO EVEN MORE IMMORTAL. (p. 4).

THE ALTERNATIVES OF «OPEN SKIES»