- Self-congratulatory inflation figures that clash with the government’s «veil». - On the one hand, mass assistance; on the other, drastic price increases. - Government officials who want to dress well while others want bread. - Self-congratulatory inflation figures that clash with the government’s «veil». - On the one hand, mass assistance; on the other, drastic price increases. - Government officials who want to dress well while others want bread. and around half a million people, which could lead to some future financial scandal because they will promise many debts! Such a situation, at odds with reality, is becoming increasingly dangerous for Albanian democracy. It has already become dangerous for the DP itself, which has the merits of the 22 March vote, it merely seems forgotten that they could also be the results of 26 July. The PD took the opposite position; it increasingly became a centralist party, a state party. It is a well-known fact «that the socialists, as L. Kadare says in an interview in recent days, are very well supplied with cadres», whereas the PD officeholders (Continued on page 2)

For some time now, official propaganda has been blowing its trumpets about the «successful completion of the first phase of the reform». What stands out is that their spokespeople, senior government and ruling-party officials, manage to turn up at every opportunity and meeting, filling the television screen and the pages of RD to prove Since the «achievements» have mouths and speak, propaganda is left, in accordance with the Leninist thesis, to make visible something embryonic that barely appears, that people can barely see or feel except as something harmful, but which supposedly has a future. It has taken on a heavy burden. This reminds many people of the subtle humor of the one-party system: «What is something that grows but cannot be seen? The answer, then.» What was said quietly back then is said openly today. At a meeting of the PS steering committee with its economic commission, where views were exchanged on the progress of the reform, the facts showed that the general euphoria had been overtaken by the conditions that had arisen. On these fundamental, rigidified points, the government’s lack of vision and the low professionalism of its officials are becoming increasingly clear. The intellectual erosion faced by the PD is now plainly evident. The lack of a concrete, detailed program has severely damaged the pace of reform. Privatization was halted for a long time, as if to continue stubbornly driving the economy toward a state of zero. Thus, production rates did not increase; instead, they stagnated, despite official figures being declared without any underlying information. The politicization of economic figures is plain to see in the market, where even the higher-grade aggregate, beer and wine, milk, butter and cheese, sugar, and so on, are either privately imported or supplied as aid. Today the state does not know the area sown in autumn, let alone the quantities produced domestically. This inflation of self-praise, the participants said, clashes with the government’s marked lack of transparency. The decline in government authority weighs on everything that happens: on the meetings and visits of government officials, on the budget figures, on the level of inflation and of em- (Continued on page 3) prospect. The destroyers are the subtle humour of monism: «What is something that grows but cannot be seen? Well-being, of course». What was said under one’s breath back then is now said openly. At a meeting of the PS steering committee with the economic commission, exchanging views the government’s euphoria is merely a propaganda trick, an assessment of the situation that is not at all convincing. It was stressed that it is governmental frivolity to put a cap so large on some clumsy and often mistaken steps taken during the year, presenting them as the first phase of the reform. What can be said when, after two years of democratic process in Albania, there is no constitution, whose drafting is being pointlessly delayed? A year is drawing to a close, and the PD government continues to work with a programme

The wonders of the Meksi government, which is carrying out reform without having a concrete plan for it, and building a new house without drawing up the plans, are endless. More than anyone else, ordinary people feel them—especially those receiving assistance, for whom the pains of reform and the hardships are becoming unbearable. They are precisely the people to whom, at the mass rallies before March 22, the government showed how it would skin the disillusioned; now it is taking their very souls as well. They say that last year, when some people complained about economic hardships, a foreigner remarked: «No one has died of hunger, after all.» Apparently, the government wants to convince the world that it is achieving this objective. On the one hand, mass assistance for around half a million people; on the other, drastic price increases that continue without mercy. And in broad daylight, with matches and a stamp, the government puts its hand in Albanians’ pockets and robs the people without the slightest hesitation. After doubling, now a village is made to pay... six times the previous rent for the houses the PD was going to give us for free; the price of electricity rises who knows how many times, and the strangest wonder of all is water. From 4 old lekë per person, it goes up to 250 old lekë, that is, more than 62 times as much. A normal family has to pay 1,000 lekë a month for water alone, even though, still in broad daylight, water comes for only 3–4 hours, (Continued on page 2)

By Dr. Servet Pëllumbi, Deputy Chairman of the Socialist Party It is an understatement to call it a lack of modesty when a party, whatever party it may be, declares itself equal to democracy and reality, «a real example of the most unprecedented organization in the world democratic movement», and offers a policy «without any kind of corruption» (RD, 1.11.1992), embodying «the aspirations and will of the nation» (RD, 5.2.1993), and so on. If such conceptions were merely passing notions in the Democratic Party, the product of a moment’s enthusiasm, or if they were found among ordinary members of that party, they would not be worth mentioning at all. But the matter changes when such conceptions are proclaimed as the line of the FD; when, from such wholly unrealistic and undemocratic positions, the contributions of other political forces are denied and their space restricted; or, worse still, when the elimination of every kind of opposition is sought and a parade of successes is celebrated, even though these are «absent, or far too few to demonstrate the “glory of the PD’s leading role”»... Such propaganda creates the impression that the post-totalitarian stage of society—that is, the transitional period—has ended, that «Albania now enjoys unquestionable political stability» and that we are living in a «truly democratic society». Indeed, it is even declared that here «agricultural production has increased greatly, while the decline in industrial production has stopped, and inflation has fallen to 3.5 percent per month»!... (RD, 6.2.1993). I do not know how plausible the figure for the drop in inflation is, but I know very well that the other claims cannot be true today, when hundreds of thousands of people are not working, when millions of additional banknotes have been put into circulation, and when the velocity of their circulation has fallen almost threefold. Apparently, they believe that under today’s conditions of poverty and mass discontent, it is possible to «satisfy» people here and the international forums with euphoric figures resembling the PD’s promises before March 22! Yet it must not be forgotten that these may also foreshadow some future financial scandal, because every promise is a debt! the PD as well, which has become a permanent irritant; therefore they are «taking care»—without regard for the country’s interests and needs—of leaving people without work, as if they were unsuitable for the reform»! It does not hesitate to declare, through the mouth of its chairman, that only the PD can carry out reform in Albania» (RD, 18.9.1992). And yet its government still has not presented to parliament a program for reform, privatization, the regulation of property relations, and so on, but leaves it to an «unfathomable container». Such distortions of the transition processes and contradictions within the PD itself are becoming increasingly real and pressing. The matter is being followed with interest by our public, which quite rightly and with legitimate concern awaits the answer to whether the extremists within it will be curbed or not—those whom President Berisha rightly called fascists at the PD Congress on January 23. But above all, attention is drawn to the strategy of increasing political tensions, especially in relations with the opposition, with the Socialist Party. It is becoming clearer today that the most extreme positions are being taken against those who think and speak differently, even to the point of dismissing them from their jobs, in a climate designed to instrumentalize fear once again and cultivate simplistic notions about the opposition, viewing it as a kind of chorus of conformity. The new wave of purges that began after New Year, planned to spread everywhere and target all socialists, will result in individual rights and freedoms being trampled on a massive scale and democracy being turned into something merely formal, or into an ordinary deception. The PD’s confused strategy, the pronounced discord in local government, and the general insecurity caused by the latest price increases on January 16, 1993—for which «no prior consultation» with political parties and trade unions was deemed necessary—are further worsening the situation. It has now become clear that the failure of the PD’s strategy to isolate the PS from (Continued on page 2)

The socialists’ authority grows every day Recently, socialist activity in the Has district has become very lively. Their main concern is to establish closer ties with the people, learn about their difficulties and concerns during this difficult period, and seek solutions from the central state bodies and local authorities controlled by the PDSH. The inhabitants of the northern district are angry with their sons, who, after snatching their votes and taking the helm of the state, have not looked back to see how they are doing and have not held another meeting with them here in the highlands. That is why the socialist councillors of the municipality of Kruma have recently asked for deputy Rexhep Uka to come to Has and account for the specific promises he made during the election campaign: first, when will the reservoir that is to irrigate 4,000 ha of land be built, and when and how will the problem be resolved for the inhabitants whose lands have been flooded by Lake Fierza? The socialists of Has not only exert pressure on right-wing officials through democratic means, but also propose solutions to the people’s problems. The situation in the district is extremely difficult. Employment opportunities in the state sectors have been severely restricted. Thousands of people in Vllahna and Golaj are on the verge of bankruptcy. Of the 3–4 thousand inhabitants, 4 thousand are receiving assistance, while hundreds of others are unemployed, especially young men discharged from the army. The people of Has are marginalized both when it comes to attempts at legal emigration and illegal emigration. More than 100 families receive provisions on a tab because they have no money to pay. The village’s situation is further worsened by the failure to implement the land law. The delay in implementing this law has (Continued on page 4)

In the town of Maliq, during the last week of January 1993, the premises where the newspaper «Zëri i popullit» is distributed for the town of Maliq and the surrounding villages were burgled. Two weeks later, the windows of the same premises were smashed, something that had not happened even during the wildest storm of Albanian democracy! On the evening of February 14, 1993, this premises was set on fire by unknown persons; the fire was extinguished thanks to the intervention of citizens who happened to be there. The real perpetrators of this act are still unknown, although the law-enforcement bodies are investigating the matter. One thing is well known: on several occasions, including February 13, PD activists declared in the presence of citizens: «Don’t sell “Zëri i popullit” here, or we’ll burn it and destroy the premises.» Such actions are typical of fascist guerrillas. THE OBSERVER

- Workers want to know what their future holds, but no one answers - At last, as we reported a few days ago in an article in this newspaper, the vineyards and orchards of the Shtoi Plain in the Shkodër district were ruthlessly destroyed in just a few days. The process that led to this destruction began several months ago. Under the pretext of restructuring the agricultural cooperatives (NBs), put forward by the local authorities of this district and all the way up to the Ministry of Agriculture, the workers waited and waited for months. They were told at one point that several small enterprises would be set up, like in Europe; at another, that joint ventures would be created with Italian firms; at yet another, that the plots of land with fruit trees and vineyards would be distributed equally among them; and so on. The workers were put on assistance. Apparently, this was so they could see more clearly the «splendid» results of the so-called restructuring. That was all it took: the famous restructuring of this agricultural cooperative is now being assessed. The result: one of the rare beauties of Albanian fruit-growing and viticulture was swallowed up by the fever of destruction. The workers’ last remaining hope was that perhaps now, after they had «successfully completed the restructuring», at least the land would be distributed to them, as the President himself had instructed. But, as things stand, even this has not happened. The Shtoi Plain has now been occupied by the «owners». Here and there, huts have been erected, where people from various remote mountainous areas have arrived claiming that the land once belonged to them. Likewise, from villages in the district—including those in the Postribë, Grudëmirë, Vrakë areas, and others—the number of villagers who say «we have title deeds» and come to mark out the old boundaries is increasing day by day. According to these boundaries, even a small flat patch of land seems to make the Shtoi Plain dozens of hectares larger than it actually is. This is further evidence of how false these claims are. Add to this the fact that the plain was once known as an uninhabited place, since it was entirely covered with brambles, ferns, snakes, and so on; yet today it turns out that it was supposedly arable land and even had individual owners. The local residents too, who for more than 40 years have sweated and turned this wasteland into an orchard, seeing that no one is looking after them today, have begun making claims of their own, each with different boundaries. One says, «I have a title deed for the land dating back to the time of Zog, and I want that land»; someone else says, «The land was given to me by the 1946 agrarian reforms, and I don’t care what is supposedly better now.» Three others say, «We have spent years sweating on this land, and after all these years we cannot once again set off for Dukagjin or the other areas we left 40 years ago.» In short, this dispute has been going on for some time and is growing day by day. The workers want to know what their future holds, but no one answers. Before their very eyes, the «owners» continue marking out boundaries, and nobody lifts a finger. Nearly 6,000 people are waiting, and waiting! MUSA KURTULAJ

The day before yesterday I came across buses with no seats, no handles to hold on to, buses where you are pushed and crushed, and above all, dirty buses. All kinds of rubbish, both on the road and inside. Dust getting into your lungs. They charge the same fare at every stop; indeed, the poor driver would be better off charging 3 (20) lekë rather than 20 (0) per kilometre that the journey takes extra because of Tirana’s potholes, potholes and ditches. It seems there is still some hand that will fix these roads. To spoil things whenever and in broad daylight, as if this were the most honourable deed a person could do. What can you do? We live in new times, but we want to know from the relevant ministry for communications and environmental protection, and from its mechanisms, whether we will ever travel like human beings? Do they intend to fix it first? How much longer must we wait? A passenger