Many arrows are now aimed at the Albanian communists. From abroad and from within. These arrows are intended, neither more nor less, to erase everything they have done together with the people over these 46 years. A veritable hysteria has erupted against them, from all sorts of orators, each trying to outdo the others in blackening them. But the people do not «keep quiet, children», as one of these puffed-up speakers has put it in verse. The people are far too seasoned to tell wheat from chaff. The people hold the communists in their hearts, not because they are idols, but because for decades, together with the people and at their head, they have worked for all the good things we have achieved, things that cannot be erased by declarations from nihilists and megalomaniacs. Yes, we communists have also made mistakes. But we have never hidden them from the people. We are not hiding them now, either. We point them out ourselves, and the people tell us to do our work even better. If there have been and are some communists corrupted by base vices and privileges, the Party has punished them and is punishing them. It has distanced them and is distancing them from itself. But these people are not the whole Party. The name of communist is also borne by those who wrote it in their own blood: 70 of the first 200 communists who gave their lives for freedom; hundreds and thousands of others who, in that time of hardship and storm, sacrificed their youth for the freedom of the homeland; and thousands more who were and are at the forefront of the work to enrich and advance the country. That is why Albanian communists have no reason to hang their heads, and they are not hanging them. They look reality in the eye, deeply concerned, in order to improve it. They view it with optimism and, above all, they are moving forward not on rails of demagoguery, but along the path of a concrete electoral program, credible to every clear-thinking person. It is a program free of unhealthy passions, one that has nothing to do with «cosmetic renovations»; it is a program largely removed from the so-called anathema of the «strategy of tension and violence». The Party of Labour has presented this program to the people with complete frankness and has engaged in dialogue with them quite naturally through sincere propaganda. It has certainly not «sown the wind to reap the whirlwind», as someone who is confused, someone who incites and vilifies, prophesies. Let us leave it to time and the people to expose those who truly want to «sow the wind and reap the whirlwind» in Albania. Only one thing is as clear as daylight: time will cover with shame those who profess stability and political prudence but, under the rug, work for the opposite, becoming puppets of «democratic» slogans. Finally, communists have no reason to back down, because candidates for deputies who enjoy the people’s respect have emerged and will continue to emerge from their ranks. If the people have not welcomed some communist candidates everywhere, this is no reason to become dispirited, as some communists are doing. Rather, this should make the Party forums think harder, so that they cast off bureaucratic routine and office-bound work, and seek candidates not in files but in real life. And life offers many worthy sons and daughters who know how to represent the people in the People’s Assembly: many honest and hardworking young men and women, intelligent and enterprising, people of sacrifice and not privilege, who have always looked the people in the eye and been looked in the eye by the people. All the Party’s efforts must be directed towards successfully concluding the election campaign, so that the communists may stand before the people with their heads held high, aware of the great responsibilities resting on them at this historic turning point.

POGRADEC The Miners of Guri i Kuq Exceed Their Targets Export targets have been fulfilled at 213 percent. “How are things? What is the situation with the iron-nickel extracted yesterday and today at your mine?” The head of the planning department at the iron-nickel mine in Guri i Kuq, Ilia Stoli, sensing that the question was not simply about a few figures in the plan, did not take out the records, as would have been natural. “We have no concerns. During these days of the first two weeks of January, work has continued normally in all the mine’s sectors (we recall that the iron-nickel mine at Guri i Kuq, in the district of Pogradec, is one of the largest in the country). This brief phrase sums up the order, discipline and efforts of every miner, specialist and cadre to make good use of every hour and day.” Only after that can the records be opened and it can be seen how much was extracted from underground, how much was sold for export and for the domestic market, how workers’ wages are being secured, and what increase was added to them by the recent decision—a decision that has further boosted commitment at work. The figure for fulfillment of the export target over the 15-day period—213 percent—is significant. A few simple calculations show that, at this rate of work, the entire monthly target will be achieved within 20 days. It is encouraging to achieve this pace in meeting this key economic task in the very first month. The target for processing iron-nickel concentrate at the beneficiation plant has also been achieved at 203 percent. This suggests that there is material available for sale to the Elbasan metallurgical complex. But something is amiss here: the railway is operating sluggishly in transporting the beneficiated ore. Nevertheless, overall, the indicator for goods sold has been exceeded by 4,700 tons (including exports). Drawing on last year’s experience, the mine is taking measures to expand certain production activities that may seem secondary but contribute to increasing revenues and help regulate the existing workforce. Thus, there are plans to expand the coil-winding department. Twenty workers are currently employed here winding electric motors, meeting the needs of this mine as well as those of the mines in Përrenjas, Korçë and Ersekë. The idea is also to wind small electric motors for electro-spraying equipment in this department. Experiments are also being carried out to put into operation a chrome-beneficiation line, using chrome extracted in one of the mine’s sectors. KOSTAQ DUKA

BERAT The Administration Is Responding Better to the Situation At the oil-processing plant in the Kuçova area, we met with managers, specialists and workers, and all shared the view that the democratization of life is unstoppable and irreversible, despite some current difficulties and problems. Viron Vasili, director of this enterprise, tells us that no kind of democracy can be understood without work and discipline, without daily effort and struggle, from the simplest worker right up to the administration and management. We started 1991 well. We have fulfilled the overall industrial plan for the period 100 percent. No worker is without work; there has been no disruption. On the contrary, targets are being met steadily every day. We have responded to their commitment with greater efficiency. The employees of the washing-powder factory fulfilled their targets at 108 percent, while the employees of the cardboard-tar-paper factory—which ended the fourth quarter of the year just completed operating under self-financing—demonstrated the advantages of the new economic mechanism by clearing, in a short time, all the deficits accumulated over the nine-month period. It should be said that the material base, which is secured domestically, is fully guaranteed, and this also ensures that targets are met. The staff of the oil-processing department have been constantly ready, processing on time the quantities of oil supplied by the pipelines; they made it possible to meet and exceed the technical and economic indicators. The efforts to improve the quality of products and secure markets for export have also been served by—

SHKODËR How the Good Example Warms Us Now There have been plenty of buyers at the fish shops in the city of Shkodër these days. A great many sole have been caught, a traditional and wholesome food in Shkodër during the cold winter days. It is the fishermen of the fishing enterprise who catch this fish, maintaining their tradition of making a good start to the year’s work in January. People in the fishing industry, too, are living through the processes of democratization, but they do not abandon their work, because the people expect food from their hands. They work with this awareness, even though it is not easy to face the cold winds blowing across the lake. We all saw the television report of January 18, when the agreement was signed for the joint production of shoes by the Shkodër factory and the «Adelchi» firm. This is a good start to the year at this unit. More than 1,000 workers are working regularly, with discipline and accountability. It is said that here work is linked to material incentive. So be it—let us link work in this way everywhere. But that is achieved by working, not by waiting. Now we will also have shoes produced by this joint enterprise, of higher quality. The commercial enterprises that have contracts with the Shkodër factory will receive them for sale and will satisfy buyers, because the shoes are good. I say this without even mentioning exports, which are a chapter in themselves. The work carried out has made exports possible, in— (Continued on page 2)

On 18.1.1991, the enlarged Presidium of the General Council of the Union of Women of Albania met to discuss the political and economic situation in which our country finds itself, and stressed that every woman must be able to contribute to the development of the democratization processes taking place in our country. There was extensive discussion about finding ways and opportunities to resolve problems with wisdom and tolerance, and about how democratic women—as workers and citizens, as mothers and wives—can make their valuable contribution. The of Albania also supported the agreement reached between representatives of political parties and political-social organizations, considering it an action that would serve to ensure debate and democratic processes, in which everyone, at all times, places above all else the interests of the Homeland, the Nation, freedom, sovereignty and progress. The Presidium also discussed the election campaign for the People’s Assembly and defined the tasks of the Union of Women’s organization until the conclusion of this important political campaign. (ATSH)

The Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly of the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania, comrade Ramiz Alia, sent the following telegram to the King of Norway, Herald V: «We were saddened to learn of the death of His Majesty Olav V, King of Norway. On behalf Socialist Republic of Albania and in my own name, we extend our sincere condolences to you and to the Norwegian people». (ATSH)

The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania, Comrade Adil Çarçani, sent a congratulatory telegram to the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Helmut Kohl: “I am pleased, on the occasion of Your reappointment to the high office of Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, to send You my warm greetings and wish You success in Your high office. I take this opportunity to express the wish that the relations of cooperation between the PSR of Albania and the FRG develop and expand along friendly lines.” (ATSH)

The work to fulfill this year's greater tasks at the repair and services enterprise of the Kukës district is also based on the progress made during the past six months in successfully implementing the new economic mechanism. The increase in the volume of services to the people and the expansion of the network, while improving quality and shortening deadlines, also brought visible improvements in the employees’ work, making them more committed to the smooth running of operations. In the first half of January, too, the plan was fulfilled in services, repairs and made-to-order products, as well as in industrial production of goods for sale, while the targets for repairs and services to the people were exceeded by 9 and 66 percent, respectively. (According to ATSH)

An unfettered race to make observations has become fashionable. In conversations, meetings and analyses, a host of observations are announced and put on the table; often cooked up from fabrications, rumors and slander, they create a demobilizing, dispiriting atmosphere. There are many problems that could quite readily and easily be solved in an enterprise, a village, a neighborhood or a district. But no, no action is taken. Major problems are talked about, passed around and brought up at meetings; they are written down in notebooks and carried here and there. For example, secretaries of the basic organizations are summoned to the Party Committee of the Vlora district; meetings are organized with activists, and most of those who speak list observations. No solutions. And at the end they conclude: one group talks about successes, another about errors and shortcomings. For the most ordinary matters, neighborhood activists expect others to come and put things right for them. “What is the Party Committee doing? Why do they allow carts to pass along the neighborhood streets, allow dirt to accumulate, and people to speak loudly...?” (?) Secretaries of the Party’s basic organizations complain, even angrily, about breaches of workplace discipline and theft of property... They demand accountability before rendering account themselves. And— imported medicines, which are not being produced domestically as they should be, both in terms of the quantities planned and the pace of supply this quarter. Thus, for example, the supply of sodium silicate contracted with the glass factory in Tirana remains a problem, as does sodium carbonate contracted with the caustic soda plant in Vlorë. Requests for these have also been brought to the attention of the ministry, but so far no positive response has been given. So not everything is going smoothly. What is striking is that the workers here judge the troubles, shortcomings and failings of others with culture, tolerance and democratically, while also taking into account the current state of our economy as a whole. This makes us think that the employees know how to value democracy—not only for themselves, but for others as well—and, like everyone, understand that this democracy has not taken root in the sky, but on the ground, in each person’s daily work. ASLLAN SARAÇI It is up to each person to shoulder their own duties and responsibilities. Those who work at a workplace—the workers’ collectives, Party organizations and managers—are better placed than anyone else to establish discipline and order there, using laws and regulations and economic levers. It has been stressed several times that our economic situation is difficult and that we face many hardships. This is not merely a statement. At the same time, it is more than a call: a call to act, to show initiative, to devote ourselves more fully to work. Every day, Vlora gives the impression of a “Sunday holiday”! So many people can be seen in its squares and streets. In some agricultural economies there are serious labor shortages. But if, in this situation, the government and economic bodies each assume their responsibilities and act, surely things will not remain this way. There are good examples, including the preservation and [unclear] in various areas, in sectors of the NN oil enterprise, at oil drilling and exploration wells, at the salt enterprise, the tannin factory, the electric-lamp factory, the mechanical workshop... This is a period when, more than ever, we need work—work with initiative. Not observations and an indifferent attitude, which open the way to anarchic actions. Typical of this kind are the actions taken just a few days ago by some cooperative members in Armen, Cerkovinë and elsewhere, who arbitrarily took livestock from the cooperatives’ barns and brought it to their homes. The lack of vigilance and the loss of initiative among leading cadres, activists and the cooperative masses cause damage by allowing other forces to shape opinions that lead to apathy and anarchy. It is more urgent than ever to mobilize the initiative of government and economic bodies against these tendencies. The truth is that we discuss and talk a great deal about the problems that concern us. Constructive opinions, offered where they are needed and in a spirit of goodwill, are undoubtedly helpful in finding useful solutions. Everyone has the right to help advance the process of democratization. But it is also a duty. And in fulfilling this duty, work plays the primary and decisive role. Anyone who forgets work cannot possibly be a champion of democracy. No program, no promise, no aspiration or objective, however appealingly proclaimed, can be made concrete without work. Correspondent of “Zëri i popullit”

At the leather and shoe factory in Korçë, an export department using materials supplied to order was opened in cooperation with the Italian firm ADELICHI. Two hundred people were employed in this department, and another 50 will soon be employed. IN THE PHOTO: Worker Violeta Peko sewing the uppers. (Photo: L. Hoti - ATSH)

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