— KORÇË — Although this question was not asked directly at the meeting between residents of the «Guerilasit» neighborhood, which falls within electoral district 99 of the city of Korçë, and the PLA candidate for deputy to the People's Assembly, the writer Nasi Lera, it was felt throughout every discussion and in the spirit of the debate that took place. It is clear that in this year's voting, every resident has a great responsibility through their vote. The responsibility of giving one's vote to this or that candidate is not simply a matter of crossing off a few names and leaving one name. The people want to be convinced that the candidate to whom they entrust their vote is neither apathetic nor a demagogue who uses bombastic words about democracy, but a capable person, firmly resolved to advance the homeland along the path of democracy. That is why the discussion by Robert Petros, a teacher at «Raqi Qirinxhi» secondary school, found a place at this meeting. “You know Nasi,” he told the residents, “as one of the country's distinguished writers. I am his contemporary. Among other things, I want to point out one of his qualities: he is extremely persistent. When he sets himself a worthwhile goal, he tries to achieve it without backing down. On a broader scale, I say that this quality, together with his honesty, will ensure that his words and actions are strongly felt in the coming Assembly.” Vasil Gjagi expresses his concern about whether the deputy candidate has everything needed to represent the people in the country's highest assembly as follows: «In his works we see many progressive members of society, true democrats. He writes about them with great affection. As a citizen, I am convinced that he is not one of those with two faces. I am convinced that he is the same in life as he is in his works». Thus the residents weighed the candidate's merits as an intellectual, as a citizen, as a member of the Party of

— SHKODËR — Prof. Hamit Beqja's nature, in meetings with people, is to engage in exchanges and question-and-answer sessions. Several questions come from the audience. Someone asks according to the interests and perspectives of the field they know. Here is a question about depoliticizing school textbooks. «Depoliticization?... Can you avoid talking about politics when you are discussing the antifascist National Liberation War in the light of history? Or the Cold War that spread immediately after the Second World War?...» It should therefore be said that school textbooks should not deny politics, but should include a greater plurality of political opinions on every historical event. Another question that deserved attention: «Do you still stand by that article you once wrote against Fishta?» The answer given is: «Yes». In his reasoning on the issue he addressed in that article, Fishta held incorrect views, because he opposed the secularization of Albanian schools and supported tendencies that would strip them of their national character. Nevertheless, it was wrong to bury Fishta's reputation. Fishta was a powerful figure in literature. Here, in these exchanges, both our diversity and our unity come to the fore. We need both. They are varied, and now they become all the broader as pluralism has entered our lives extensively. Meetings in Shkodër with Hamit Beqja, the PLA candidate for deputy to the People's Assembly, are sometimes almost spontaneous. He knows the voters by their first and last names, and, as the saying goes, by their faces; he discusses and debates with small groups, but these conversations have the value of working meetings in this intensive electoral period. They are held to clarify for the electorate the most useful aspects of the democracy and pluralism we are experiencing, and the program of the PLA, which he represents.

The residents of the «18 Shtatori» and Varosh neighborhoods, which are included in electoral district No. 88 of the city of Gjirokastër, met yesterday at the sports palace with their candidate for deputy to the People's Assembly, Adil Çarçani, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the PLA and chairman of the General Council of the FDSH. After thanking the voters for accepting the PLA's and the district FD's proposal that he stand as a candidate for deputy in the highest organ of people's power, Comrade Adil Çarçani said that this time the elections for deputies to the People's Assembly would take place under new historical conditions, at a time when the country's political, economic and social life had entered a qualitatively new phase of its democratic development. The initiator and leader of this development is our glorious Party of Labour and, personally, its leader and the leader of our people, Comrade Ramiz Alia. The Party of Labour, he continued, would continue to struggle unceasingly in the future to ensure that the process of democratizing life did not stop, but moved forward. All the democratizing measures and reforms achieved are irreversible; there will be no turning back. First and foremost, the Party will devote all its efforts to further perfecting the political system and increasing the role of the bodies elected by the people themselves, so that they, rather than the executive and administrative bodies, will make the decisions—in other words, so that the people will hold full power. To this end, he said, the new constitution currently being drafted once again on the initiative of the Party of Labour will also serve greatly; with its content, after approval by the new Assembly, it will be sovereign and open much broader paths for further democratic developments. Then he spoke about the PLA's electoral program, emphasizing that the entire program, in the political, economic and social fields, is permeated by the idea of national unity, offering an objective assessment of history and placing the people's welfare and social justice at the foundation of new developments. The PLA and its members will struggle with composure, wisdom and foresight, using all democratic forms of dialogue and discussion, so that this very delicate period, up to the elections of March 31, passes as peacefully as possible, and our people go to the ballot boxes without pressure or

(Continued on page 2) Conversations that will continue... — VLORË — Voters and candidates for deputies to the People's Assembly have begun a conversation, one we might call different from those of previous rounds. This is a conversation that cannot be thought of as taking place for the sake of tradition or as part of the election-program stage. Through the... voters [text fragment] will be represented in the highest organ of power. The candidate goes to the voters as an expression of their need to meet with them, to hear their views, suggestions and observations about the issues that concern them. This is why this conversation is not simply an electoral act, but above all a requirement, one of the most essential for a representative of the people, without which they cannot…

…respond to the trust or perform their duty well as such. At present, the discussions at these meetings mainly concern the program of the respective political subject. This is the main topic. It is therefore a moment of particular responsibility. Anyone who appears before the people without this sense of responsibility, lulled by the notion that «the program is known, it has been published, its various objectives have been ... explained and clarified», and so on, is making a mistake. People want you to explain from the program what they do not understand well; they assess how well the candidate knows the program, how much they themselves believe in it and what assurance they offer about implementing each objective, how convinced and committed they personally are to putting it into practice, and what genuine conviction they inspire. For their part, candidates value the meeting as a way of measuring the trust placed in them, and especially in…

— Tirana — Yesterday afternoon, the Tirana District Committee of the Party of Labour and the Party Committee of Region No. 2 organized a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Muhamet Kappani, in one of the halls of the Palace of Culture. Secretaries of committees, bureaus and basic organizations of the Party of Labour, democratic leaders in Albania, took part. He spoke about the just and peaceful policy pursued by our country, which is based on friendship, goodwill and respect among peoples. Speaking about Albania’s relations with neighboring countries, he stressed that Balkan cooperation is an integral part of the European process, serving peace, security and stability in Europe. “We will go towards Europe,” he said, “not crawling, but on our feet and with our heads held high, as befits an Albanian.” In this context, he stressed that relations with Italy are experiencing a new development, which is in the interests of both countries and of peace and stability in the region. He then spoke about the importance of signing the memorandum on the restoration of relations (Continued on page 2).

The Party of Labour Committee of Patos organized a rally at the “Mustafa Matohiti” Palace of Culture in the town of Patos to explain the electoral program of the PPSH. Secretaries of basic organizations, workers, communists, cadres and specialists from enterprises in the oil industry system took part. The PPSH representative, Prof. Dr. [name missing], production and institutional managers, veterans, young men and women, and others were also present. Some of them are residents of the electoral constituency in which Muhamet Kapllani has been designated the PP candidate for deputy to the People’s Assembly. Speaking about Albania’s foreign policy, the candidate for deputy stressed that, despite their differences, political parties must have one point in common: the defense of the highest interests of the Fatherland and the people. He addressed the processes of development de- Patosi organized an event at the “Mustafa Matohiti” Palace of Culture in the city of Patos to promote implementation of the PPSH electoral program. enterprises in the oil sector attended. The PPSH representative, Prof. Dr. Harilla Papajorgji, explaining the electoral program, discussed its contents at length and said that it aims to build a just and democratic society, where social values are preserved and workers’ well-being is promoted. He placed particular emphasis on restructuring the economy in order to give an important role to the development of agriculture through investments and other sources of reso- (Continued on page 2)

(Continued on page 2)

Yesterday afternoon, at the “Aleksandër Moisiu” Palace of Culture, the Executive Committee of the People’s Council of the Durrës district organized a meeting with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Comrade Fatos Nano, to explain the Government’s program for Economic Reform. Officials and specialists from various fields of production and public life, outstanding employees of the district’s economic enterprises, and others took part. Among other things, the Prime Minister said that the Government’s economic reform has as its fundamental aim deepening and accelerating democratic processes in the economic sphere, overcoming the current grave state of the economy, identifying priority areas of development in order to improve the economic structure over time, and transforming the centrally directed economic system into a market economy. The Government’s program for economic reform, he emphasized, will be implemented first and foremost through our own work, but also by strengthening cooperation with other countries. This economic reform will be implemented gradually and cautiously, in clearly defined phases, without disturbing social and economic stability, and especially people’s psychological stability. The Prime Minister focused in particular on explaining the concept of a market economy. He emphasized that a market economy presupposes a diverse, mixed economy in which elements of state direction will be harmonized with other economic entities, such as the cooperative sector in agriculture, industry and crafts, and genuine private property. Such an economy should have markets for goods and consumer items, means of production, labor, capital, investment, the banking system, securities, and so on. Among the different forms of ownership and within them there will be co- (Continued on page 2)

Yesterday, the Foreign Minister of our country, Muhamet Kapllani, received a UN delegation headed by Sergio Vieira de Mello, Director of External Relations at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. During the meeting, our Foreign Minister briefed the delegation on the content of the UN assistance, speaking highly of the Norwegian government’s willingness and contribution in sending humanitarian aid to our country. Views were also exchanged on the process of democratization in Albania. UN official Sergio Vieira de Mello, expressing the willingness of the relevant UN bodies to assist Albania, said they would do everything possible to send further humanitarian contributions. During the meeting, which took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere, issues concerning Albania’s relations with the UN were also discussed. (ATSH)

Yesterday, Imre Szokai, Deputy State Secretary of Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arrived in our country for a three-day official visit. At Rinas Airport, the Hungarian deputy foreign secretary was received by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sokrat Plaka and other officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hungary’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to our country, Ferenc Polka, was also present. (ATSH)

OUR OBSERVATION RD is desperately trying to find out where party cadres and leaders are—or are not—especially former leaders, in order to write about their deeds. The favorite subject in many consecutive issues of this newspaper is that of privileges. The closer March 31 gets, the louder the tone becomes: facts are uncovered, the white paper is brought out. But, as we see in this latest issue of RD, it seems the “list” is running out. Those bearers of privilege, those who tried to ride on the backs of this people, as this very newspaper makes clear, turn out to number at most a dozen, perhaps two, perhaps three. Yet the Party of Labour has nearly 130,000 members. By taking this position, RD is unintentionally doing the great mass of Party of Labour members a favor (yes, a favor). The newspaper in question is unable to condemn these 130,000 people, because they are everywhere: farmers and workers on three shifts, humble shopkeepers and distinguished intellectuals, self-sacrificing women and exemplary young people, devoted servicemen and honored veterans. As sons and daughters of the people, they have rejoiced and grieved with them over the good things and hardships this country, this land we call Albania, has gone through. By singling out a few among them who apparently lived in abundance, far from the people’s troubles, RD makes a modest “contribution” to the all-out struggle waged by the mass of Party of Labour members against bureaucratism, cliques, privileges, favoritism and many other evils. Yes, it is true that ordinary Party of Labour members have sometimes been disappointed in this struggle, often a bitter one, but they have never confused the party they represent; they have never mixed their lofty ideals with the interests of a handful of people, of a party or state official, whoever he may have been, who told them, like the proverbial priest: “Do as I say, not as I do.” No one—and RD least of all—can dare to say that Party of Labour members have not been champions of this struggle, which did not end after the two or three months this newspaper has existed, but has lasted for people’s lifetimes, through the struggle of several generations. That is why we say that RD’s position, taking PPSH members by the hand and pointing out the “deeds” of the bureaucracy to them, reminds us of the people’s saying: “Come along, father, and I’ll show you the fields.” Party of Labour members loved and still love their party not because of beautiful houses or the grand words of one or two officials, much less because of the worst deeds of the oppressors, but first and foremost for great patriotic reasons. Yes, the Party of Labour has had, and still has, hierarchs, “armchair eaters,” careerists and nepotists. But the mass, the backbone of the PPSH, has been and remains healthy, because its members are ordinary, humane people, held in great affection and esteem by the people, with authority earned through their honest, hard work. RD knows this well too; that is why, from one issue to the next, it keeps mentioning a few officials by name…

ONE OF DOZENS OF FABRICATIONS The newspaper «R.D.» of 16. 3. 1991 carried a notice claiming that the communists of the basic organization of the Party of Labour at the Tirana district court had handed over their party cards. This notice is false. No communist in this organization has handed over their party card. At the meeting of the basic organization on 22.2.1991, we discussed current issues and expressed our support for the depoliticization of these bodies, in the interests of this organization’s work in delivering justice and rigorously upholding legality. This in no way means that the communists handed over their party cards, as reported in the R.D. news item. MYFTAR HOXHA Secretary of the basic organization of the Party of Labour at the district court, Tirana

Albania, on whose foundations lies the blood of the fighters and distinguished patriots of the National Renaissance and the struggle for national independence, the blood of the 28 thousand martyrs of the National Liberation War, is the work of the toil and sweat of our brave, hardworking and freedom-loving people. It is everyone's duty—the people's and their power's—to strengthen and continually prosper the homeland. FROM THE PLA PROGRAM FOR THE ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN AND THE ENTIRE COMING LEGISLATURE

(Continued on page 2) In the new country, the People’s [Assembly?] that will be elected will open much broader paths for further democratic developments.

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