The brick factory in Kuçovë was privatized under the laws of the chairman of the DP, Mr. Namik Dardha. He became the owner by falsifying the documents. The chairman of the factory's independent trade union, the self-appointed Mr. Koshki, sent the documents to the privatization office, claiming that the workers agreed that the factory should be taken over for restoration. Although those who have «taken it over» are the former party leaders at the enterprise, no one asked us workers about this matter. In addition, the document obtained from the district council has also been falsified. The district council itself has said that we should take this council to court so that the truth can emerge about who the forgers are and who is speculating at the expense of the workers at this factory. If we are talking about democracy, and about what our president Berisha tirelessly says night and day—that reform should involve as many people as possible—then why is this being done? So far, the president's directives have benefited only a certain group of people and not the workers. This method of privatization is being used only to cover up corruption. Liquidator Mr. Pano Raveçi should be well aware of this; he arrived through his personal company and was approved neither by the ministry nor by the workers. We have informed the Minister of Finance and Economy, Mr. Genc Ruli, about all these matters and about the strike we have been holding for so many days. For the collective of the Brick Factory in Kuçovë: Fadil Shehu, Bezhit Ziu, Barjam Pasha, Osman Skuro and Ibrahim Demo.

The night before last, at around 22:00, at the railway overpass on the northern outskirts of the city of Shkodër, police officer Lazër Sokoli was killed. According to the information available so far, he was a member of the police post in the commune of Mesit. He had left home to take up the third shift. The motives for this murder are still unknown, but it is said that after he was shot, his pistol was taken. It is also reported that law-enforcement officers, following a swift intervention, managed to detain two people. Nevertheless, these authorities have given the public no information about this extremely distressing incident, even though people in Shkodër are eager to know the circumstances and the perpetrators of this crime. Yesterday we learned that the body of police officer Lazër Sokoli was taken to his birthplace, the village of Lotaj in Dukagjin. THE OBSERVER

… That President Berisha, the parliamentary majority, the Meksi Government, and the dictators of subordinate institutions have acted—and continue to act—entirely spontaneously and irresponsibly in many areas is beyond doubt: one need only look at the «solution» to the bread problem. On 22 February 1992, the electoral platform was published through which the DP won the elections by one more vote. To avoid excessive commentary, we quote an excerpt from point 13 of it (without taking into account the judgment that 13 is an unlucky number), so that everyone can judge how the DP «solved» the bread problem at that time. 13. «We condemn the mistaken policy followed until now by the totalitarian state of the PP concerning the provision of bread. Communism deliberately monopolized the people's bread in order to use it as a weapon of intimidation. This is how the Labourite holders of power exploited it; and in the future, when the DP withdraws its ministers from the Government of Stability... Our farmer, on his land, will not produce grain for his family's needs, but will cultivate crops that will bring him profit. The DP will fight for the state to guarantee, equally, to all villages without exception, wheat bread—not only in sufficient quantities, but also of good quality—through domestic grain production as well as imports. The Albanian village's wheat will remove part of the heavy burden of responsibility for bread…». In the second year of its rule, once again we have a different «solution»: on 1 July 1993, the DP Government raises the price of bread tenfold compared with a year earlier. Mr. Berisha, in Zvezdë of Korçë and at the press conference with journalists, threatened German, French and Italian farmers with bankruptcy through an increase in wheat production by Albanian farmers. Mr. Ruli, in an interview on RTV, unwittingly revealed the reality here by comparing it with that of Somalia. The Minister of Food, Mr. Kallaluka, pledges that next year he will sow 250,000 ha with wheat? The Minister of Assistance, Mr. Shehu, «assures» the Albanian people that he will give them money «just to buy plain bread, not chocolates». The bread bogeyman is knocking on every door. Further comments are unnecessary. Today there is no talk of seven kinds of bread, of making life easier for Albanian women, or of European standards, but of that legendary... bread that keeps us alive. The DP Government, through its level of competence and incapacity, underestimated a problem that is by no means easy to solve. It took only a few months for the DP leaders to realize the absurdity of their balloon-like promises. At present, if we drew a parallel with the PP, and even accepted the pedestrian version, it could at least ration bread for you, whereas the DP could leave you completely without it—not only in the countryside, but in the city too! For a moment it seems that the «democratic» DP Government has found the magic key to securing bread by raising the price of wheat and bread to levels... Does this show that? In theory this is right when supported by other technical and organizational measures. In practice, and especially this year, this «magic key» fits a broken lock—or, more accurately, an agriculture deliberately destroyed under the «far-sighted» leadership of the DP, both at the center and in the districts. Albanian agriculture, which produces around 1 million tons of grain, has barely yielded a quarter of that amount over the past two years. In record time, agricultural machinery, the irrigation system, the fuel supply system, and supplies of selected seeds, chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, etc. were destroyed. Therefore, not only this year but next year as well, no significant increase in agricultural production can be expected. Add to this the fact that land on state farms and in some villages has still not been distributed according to the law; it lies fallow, and poppies and weeds have been planted on it, and the gloomy picture becomes even clearer. The «arguments» put forward by DP leaders to justify the increase in the price of bread reveal different shades of meaning. For example, Mr. Berisha stresses that the price is rising because prices in Europe are high (although before 22 March nobody promised high prices, but high wages). Mr. Ruli justifies the increase in the price of bread by invoking the preservation of the price ratios for food products that existed in 1990, when the Albanian economy was centrally planned. It is truly regrettable that Ruli, who even considers himself an economist, should make such gross blunders. He «reasons» that three years ago the ratio between the price of meat and that of bread was 6.8 to 1, whereas now it is 16 to 1, «forgetting» that we have entered a market economy, where the mechanism of supply and demand operates. Mr. Kallaluka, as he himself emphasized in the interview, is no old hand from socialist agriculture (you have shown your «dissidence» during these two years since he retired due to old age), and «convinces» us that next year the area sown with wheat in Albania will double. We inform the reader that in Albania, in no year has more than (Continued on page 2)

According to the proper documentation available to the railway authorities… . According to the proper documentation available to the railway authorities and made known to the highest levels of the Albanian state, 175 tons of pesticides sent by the company Shmid-Kreta in GMBH from Hanover, Germany, are sitting at Bajzë railway station. Seventeen railcars that arrived with the pesticides have been held there since March 1992. Although the pesticides have passed their expiry date, it has been requested that they be returned to where they came from; but nothing has been done. There is complete silence about this problem, even though their presence there is extremely dangerous because of the sparks that may spread from the poisons they contain. In addition to this danger, their presence there is causing considerable economic damage to our poor state. Calculating that 18 dollars are paid for each day a detained railcar remains there, the cost for the 17 railcars that have been there since 1991 exceeds the figure of 200 thousand US dollars. We ask: how much longer will these poisons remain in Albania, and is anyone thinking about the abuses for which we have to pay in hard dollars?

It is being said that the Berisha-Beqiri judicial duel will turn into a judicial duel, since the latter will try to prove the accidental killing of

It is being said that the Berisha-Beqiri judicial duel will turn into a judicial duel, since the latter will try to prove the accidental killing of the quotation marks in the word «vrassës», in the long odyssey of newspaper-writing. Idajet Beqiri on the paths of will try to prove the accidental killing of the quotation marks in the word «vrassës» [“murderer”], in the long odyssey of newspaper-writing. What is certain is: - that the chairman of PUKSH declared from the outset that he would defend himself, so even under the new circumstances (a different technicality), he will not be able to get help from language specialists; - that the chairman of PUKSH has been extinguished in his superiority over the victim in the correct pronunciation of the Albanian national literary standard; - that the most usable weapon for the chairman of PUKSH in that duel will be the sole academic publication, «Rregullat e pikësimit në gjuhën letrare shqipe» (project), Tirana 1981, and especially paragraph 117, page 68, where precisely what he needs is explained: the special meaning of words enclosed in quotation marks. And after that, since nobody can produce a new official regulation, what else can the judge do except advise the plaintiff not to take things more seriously than necessary, and take the opportunity to have a coffee with the unsuspecting man and the victim, who have misunderstood each other for no reason. What is not known for certain is: Which linguist will the president call on for help? His only rare «linguist» friend is Arshi Pipa. Will Pipa’s theories about not recognizing the Albanian national literary language standard serve him this time? Who does the fact that the academic publication is only a project help: the accused or the victim? What if it occurs to the accused to read the preface, which ends as follows: «The punctuation rules are being published as a mock-up. They will be subject to extensive discussion at the center and in the districts before taking their final form. They (the academics: our note) will accept every comment and suggestion» (ibid., page 7)—what will happen? Will Idajet Beqiri make use of this fact and, contrary to what we predicted, declare from the outset: «I removed the quotation marks myself at the last moment in the printing house! I removed them because I did not want to rely on the draft regulations of the monist era. Take it as servility if you wish, but I did not want to upset the president and his friends by applying the draft regulation left to us by Enver». Could that happen too?... Nevertheless, we must wait for the trial.

Our people’s positive efforts toward the establishment and creation of private property are characteristic phenomena of our democratic period, which will lead to the growth of Albanians’ individuality and independence. They are legitimate and show our aspirations to improve well-being and the will for this to exist in Albania too. But alongside the positive aspects of this process, countless ambiguities and irregularities can be observed in the application of laws, norms and moral ethics. Added to this is one of the ugliest mentalities, which manifests itself as vigilante justice and blood feuds. In various areas, villages and districts, killings, robberies, trafficking, etc., are reaching the proportions of a very large phenomenon. Although state information is limited and deliberately censored, the muted news is spreading ... In the district of Lezhë, within one year, 11 people were killed, all young, including children. The latter defies every Albanian norm and custom. In Shënkoll, Malecaj, Markatomaj, Berzanë, Kalivaç and other villages where killings have occurred, they have deeply affected not only the families involved, but have shaken public opinion throughout the country. Vigilante justice and blood feuds are called open wounds, but for people they are old wounds whose roots lie in the divisive policy introduced among us by foreign occupiers and their servants. Although for a time it seemed that those wounds had closed, now they are reopening and taking on tragic proportions. I hope and believe that, like many other phenomena now emerging, this one too must belong...

On June 29 and 30, 1993, the meetings of the presidium and the steering committee of the PS of the Laç district were held, respectively, under the direction of the chairman of the district PS, Shpëtim Cani, who also briefed the participants on the meeting of the KPD of the PSSH. The speakers supported the KPD declaration, since the district’s socio-economic situation is worsening every day. The causes of this situation are the ineptitude of the local authorities, the failure to distribute the land, the indifference of the district and Golem MPs, the centralization of powers, privatizations by decree, and the lack of conditions, which results in the free hand given to the nyshteravë [unclear in source] to enrich themselves illegally and immediately, as well as to PD activists, thereby increasing economic differentiation—not as a result of people’s abilities or lack of abilities, but according to party affiliation. Meanwhile, the former owners have remained and are reaping benefits illegally, speculating on the ineptitude of the local authorities, while a large stratum of peasants is being continually impoverished artificially. State enterprises are in complete collapse. The privatization of the three NB [agricultural enterprises] has been set in motion, and thousands of residents of the town of Mamurras have been left without work and without land. Other state enterprises are closing one after another, with no prospects. Workers are left out on the street. On these issues, socialist councillors have requested a face-to-face meeting with the district presidium and the commune chairmen. The Greek government’s retaliatory policy toward Albanian refugees was also harshly condemned; its consequences are felt economically in our district too. Finally, at the proposal of the organization’s leadership, two co-options were made to the steering committee, the number of presidium members was increased from 9 to 13 by electing four of the district’s finest intellectuals—Haxhi Dibra, Xhemal Luka, Pashko Marku and Zef Dukagjini—and it was decided that the district’s activists’ meeting would be held on July 30, 1993. Correspondent of «Zëri i popullit»

The construction enterprise in Durrës, as is known, was one of the largest enterprises in the republic, employing more than 3,000 workers. All kinds of construction materials were produced within this enterprise: light and heavy prefabricated elements, all grades of concrete, lime mortar, tiles, pipes, bitumen, a carpentry workshop, a poultry unit, etc. The enterprise had a fairly complete inventory of machinery and a repair shop, including a mechanical-engine repair unit and electric and mechanical blacksmiths. Its construction capacity was high. In August 1992, the democratic government announced collective assistance, as well as the dismissal of enterprise managers. The Durrës construction enterprise was not spared this epidemic of assistance either. Assistance in construction was a major act of sabotage against the country, because construction could have continued at the same pace as before and was greatly needed for building homes, etc. But the new managers appointed by the mother party, the Democratic Party, such as Mr. Zenel Bazë, director of the construction enterprise, and Mitrush Niko, head of the construction department, are completely incapable—people of whom, until yesterday, nobody had ever said, «Good work.» They chose the easiest route, putting workers and retired engineering and technical staff on assistance, while promising that they would gradually take us back to work. A year has passed, and 97 percent of this enterprise’s employees remain on assistance, with no prospect of work. In this way, under the «democratic» system, we are the ones who have been most debased. But today there is nobody to hold our managers to account. We left all the facilities operational and fully equipped with machinery—what state are they in now? Everything has been destroyed, stolen, and rendered inoperative. What is the management team, with Mr. Zenel Bazë, doing? We say with conviction that this dire situation has been created deliberately. Director Zenel, with his «mildha» enterprise, has abused ... (the text continues in the next column) [The beginning is cut off] worked at that enterprise and ruined it. As is known, it For all this, Mr. Zenel has the support of the head of the construction section, Mr. Petraq Dodo, who perhaps thinks he should get his share of this enterprise. We think so because Mr. Petraq Dodo is a chairman and the head of a faction in Rumanat, which for 23 years has been administered by this Zenel’s enterprise park, leaving 80 families who work and earn their living from this operation empty-handed. Even more worrying is the situation at the machinery-and-transport construction site, under the responsibility of Mitrush Mino. Within a year, one of the largest and best-equipped fleets in the construction system was destroyed. Dozens of vehicles and trailers have disappeared; repair shops have been destroyed, and the machinery installed in them has been stolen. Two varienka and one fiedrome were put out of service within the first six months of 1993. Excavators have been left out on the roads, along with many other machines worth millions of lekë. We ask: what is happening? In which workshop or construction site will we work tomorrow? ... At the beginning of 1993, the Machinery-Transport-Construction Fleet became a separate enterprise. But neither Mr. Zenel nor Mr. Mitrush takes an interest in the machinery inventory. They are interested only in their salaries. The vehicles have been left ownerless, to the point that there are rumors that a 4-ton excavator has crossed the border into Greece. Therefore, we strongly demand that the competent authorities investigate, including the district prosecutor’s office. The Ministry of Construction’s Inspectorate should also intervene to save what remains and ensure the restoration of the construction site and investigate the thefts that have occurred. VLADIMIR KASA OSMA[N?] LECI mechanic construction worker

... 200 THE DEBASED