- Interview with Shaqir Vakaj, deputy chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly - Question: In Parliament, you proposed setting up a Parliamentary Anti-Corruption Commission. Can you tell us more specifically what this proposal aims to achieve? Answer: The problem of corruption is much discussed in Albania today, and I would add that it is extremely dangerous for both the present and the future of democracy in our country. If it continues along this path, corruption will very soon enter every cell of Albanian life, turning Albania into a mafia state. What is not being said about Albania today? It is described as a country trafficking in drugs, prostitutes, weapons, fuel and cigarettes, as a place for laundering dirty money, etc. It is a fact that many officials are now being talked and written about as having been implicated in various financial scandals, large-scale bribes, illegal appropriation, etc. Of course, not all of it is true. I and many others want precisely for these things not to be true and for them to be stopped. Such a fight is certainly very difficult and requires the serious commitment of everyone, with politicians having an important role to play. Question: And, in your view, what should Parliament’s role be in this regard? Answer: It is clear that its main role is, and must be, to pass laws. But for these laws to be effective, it must also work to prevent corruption and leave no openings for it in any field or form. Unfortunately, this is not happening in practice either. There is indeed a lot of talk about corruption in Parliament, and this has increased lately, but it is all talk and no further action is taken. It reminds me of an anecdote once told about the Trade Unions, which had become like a grandmother who talked all day at home and nobody paid her any attention. That is what I think is happening in our Parliament too. Question: Parliament has in fact set up various commissions on other occasions. What was their outcome? Answer: These commissions remind me even more of the grandmother I mentioned above. So that a commission of this kind is not merely formal and does not suffer the fate of the others, I proposed a permanent, pluralist commission chaired by an opposition deputy, regardless of which party, because most parties are now in opposition to the party in power. Question: And how did deputies from the different parties react to this proposal? Answer: Almost everyone who spoke approved it. Question: For example, how did Mr. Ali Spahia, chairman of the PD parliamentary group, who is always accustomed to speaking against things, act in this case? Answer: He again expressed opposition, but I think he did not understand the essence of the proposal. I do not think the Democratic Party group shares his view. Question: To go into more detail about the proposal, how do you think this commission would function? Answer: Commissions of this kind operate in the parliaments of many democratic countries, so I think the time has come for such a commission to operate in our Parliament too. This commission should have authority and should extend its activities in several directions; primarily, on the one hand, to protect deputies and government officials from slander, rumors and accusations, and, on the other, to insist on pursuing corruption to the end. I would like to illustrate this with a few examples: on 29 December 1994, Albanian Radio and Television broadcast a report about a request by the General Prosecutor’s Office to ... (Continued on page 2) This concerns the conflict, which we had almost glossed over, especially since three of the party’s leading figures, Messrs. Selami, Hysenbegasi and Shehu, had also attended the meeting of the branch presidium to analyze the reasons for the defeat in the Referendum. The newspaper had presented the quarrel between the two deputies almost as an entirely sporadic incident. It seems that deputy Meçe was dissatisfied with this type of information published by RD, which tries to convince us that it holds a monopoly on the truth. The deputy in question must have complained to the party presidium, since the party’s spokesperson, S. Balla, was compelled to issue a “Clarification” about the incident, published in yesterday’s issue of this newspaper. The “Clarification” states clearly why the dispute between the two deputies is not about trivial matters, but matters of principle. And among these “matters of principle” is this mentality.

Yesterday the famous English actor arrived in Albania, known to everyone by the name of his most beloved character, PITKIN. His arrival in our country is a notable event in Albanian cultural life. For several days, the hero of comic roles will be among us; his friendship with Albanian viewers and lovers of the arts goes back a long way. This was also demonstrated by the telling fact that many people welcomed him at Rinas airport, where he will be an honored guest. On this occasion, our editorial staff wishes the great actor an enjoyable stay in Albania. Correspondent of «Voice of the People»

THE “BROZI” CASE Yesterday, the Court of Cassation considered the request of the PD Parliamentary Group for an interpretation of the constitutional provisions concerning the immunity of the Chairman and members of the Court of Cassation. As is clear from the court’s ruling, it unanimously decided: 1. The competent body for lifting of Cassation is the People’s Assembly. 2. The words “acts related to the performance of their duties” in paragraph 3 of Article 6 of Law No. 7561, dated 29.4.1992, are to be understood as the opinions and decisions issued by judges in accordance with their inner conviction and in application of the law when hearing judicial cases. 3. The People’s Assembly may, by a reasoned decision, remove a judge of the Court of Cassation from office when that judge has been sentenced to deprivation of liberty for committing a criminal offence by a final court judgment. This decision is final and conclusive and enters into force immediately.

French Prime Minister Eduard Baladyr officially announced his candidacy in a televised address to the nation for the presidential elections to be held on 23 April and 7 May, news agencies report. Baladyr, 65, said in a five-minute broadcast to the nation that France is now on the road to recovery and that he hopes to lead it confidently into the 21st century. “I am not a party candidate,” he said, adding that he would serve as a “pole of gravity” to unite the French and make France an “engine of progress in Europe.” On domestic affairs, he said he would aim to “restore the unity of power,” establish civic morality, fight corruption and uphold the rule of law, reduce unemployment by improving the education system, developing backward regions and protecting the victims of modern society. The announcement by Baladyr that he would declare his candidacy had been long awaited and an-

Durrës

Observation Principality mentalities among PD deputies It is paradoxical, but all kinds of mentalities appear in today’s society, including those from centuries past. It is not for nothing that in popular speech one official behaves like an “ajarakart,” another like a “bey,” and a third says, “better a friend than an estate,” even though it is well known that beys and estates disappeared from our map half a century ago. Even more surprising is that the behavior and mentalities of that era, which we might call those of principalities, are displayed by leaders of the party in power, and even more so by its deputies. More surprising still is when this mentality is displayed by the leadership of the Democratic Party itself. More specifically: in yesterday’s issue of the newspaper RD, among other things, we read that there is an open conflict between two PD deputies from the Pogradec district, Mr. A. Meçe and Mr. M. Cjana. The report of this fact, published the previous day in RD in its account of the meeting of the PD branch in Pogradec, tried to present the conflict in very muted terms, almost glossing over it, Hysenbegasi and Shehu, had also attended the branch presidium meeting “matters of principle” is this mentality.

The work begun in September to elect the elder councils and village elders was not completed on time, as required, because of the Referendum campaign. According to the Government’s decision, the work to elect elder councils in the various communes is still under way. But so far it appears that Democratic Party officials are showing openly unlawful tendencies, by failing to gather the people and trying to appoint the elder councils through PD sections in the villages. Thus, in the villages of Xhafzotaj and Stacionin e Zooteknikës, 6 members of the PD section appointed 15 members (!) and later corrected this action by increasing their number to 9. This has resulted in the head of the village PD being elected as head of the elder council, without the people’s free vote being known. Likewise, in the commune of Katundi i Ri, in the village of Sukth, even though the election of the elder council has been completed, with 4 PD members and 3 members of other political forces elected, PD leaders are scheming over the election of the village elder and are calling for a new vote. They aim to increase the number of elder council members from 7 to 9, since only in this way can they secure one of their own as village elder. Meanwhile, in the commune of Sukth, the PD leader, even though they have not managed to elect a PD village elder, has dared in villages such as Kullë, Hamallaj, Rushkull, etc., to keep the people away from the meeting by changing its time, and held it with 10 people. Such attempts by PD sections in Durrës are also being observed in other communes. Local government bodies remain indifferent. The officials appointed in the district council to deal with these serious legal violations told us: “The government has not assigned us this task; this is a matter for the prefecture.” At the prefecture, although these facts and the concerns mentioned above have been brought forward, no positive response has yet been seen from the prefect and the other members. The situation remains unchanged. Through manipulation and every kind of tactic, the PD is fighting to secure a positive balance. The officials are now fully convinced that PD representatives in the villages will no longer win a majority. The people’s vote cannot be secured through violations of decrees and laws, especially when it is being abused.

Italy’s new Prime Minister, Lamberto Dini, took the reins of power one day after being sworn in by President Oskar Luigi Scalfaro. ’s new Prime Minister, Lamberto Dini, took the reins of power one day after being sworn in by President Oskar Luigi Scalfaro. Dini’s government could become the subject of one of the debates related to Berlusconi’s call for a fight for survival, following Berlusconi’s declaration in favor of new elections. It faces a fight for survival after Berlusconi declared that he would support Dini’s government only if a date for new elections were set. Dini has said he is confident he will win, but the result in his favor is expected to be very close and certainly still uncertain, with the centre-left parties supporting him so far, while Berlusconi and his allies make their support conditional on a promise of new elections. The German news agency DPA says that only after an exact date for new elections has been set will deputies from Berlusconi’s camp vote for Dini. According to Reuters, Berlusconi declared that he had accepted Lamberto Dini’s candidacy only after ... (To be continued on page 4) Baladyri, 65, said in a five-minute broadcast before the committee that he would serve as a “centre of gravity” to unite the French, giving them hope and vote-bism and preparing the country for the coming century. On foreign affairs, he said he wished to consolidate France’s position in the world and to ... The announcement by Baladyri of his candidacy has been long awaited, and the latest public opinion polls have shown that Baladyri could defeat the other candidate of the neo-Gaullist party, Zhak Shirak, who announced his candidacy at the end of last year.

MAT GROWTH IN THE RANKS OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY AND ITS ELECTORATE During 1994, 205 new members were admitted, and new organizations of the Socialist Party were also established. It is a fact that the SP has also grown and strengthened in the district of Mat. Gradually and at a satisfactory pace, its electorate has continued to expand, not only in the town but also in the most remote villages of the district. The SP’s consistent and measured stance, the high political maturity of its leaders at the centre and at the grassroots, and its deeply democratic program are some of the factors that have increased the party’s standing among the people of this district. It is known that in the district of Mat, socialist leaders hold positions in local government, on the district council, on the municipal council and on the commune councils. Consequently, a close cooperation of the communes is led by the socialists. As a result, [text unclear] provides a good opportunity to see the work and contribution in addressing people’s growing concerns. The fact that during these four months [text unclear] corruption by socialist representatives says a great deal about their moral integrity. Despite the difficulties we ourselves face in the normal functioning of local government, with powers centralized to the greatest possible extent, the socialists have clearly shown that they are much more capable of governing than the Democratic Party. Local government representatives have continually intensified their contact with the people, resolving those problems for which solutions were possible. On the others, the people have been told openly that we do not have them in our hands; they are up to the Government and its agencies. Alongside attention to this fundamental problem, the SP in Mat has also focused on two other very important aspects: new admissions, mainly from among young people and intellectuals, as a key factor.

- Another meaning of the steep rise in fuel prices: ruthlessness instead of the vaunted “social economy.” Let the small businesses go bankrupt to make room for the big ones to get rich. Debates over the government’s fuel price increases at the beginning of this year continue. With each passing day, they become a real-life confrontation between people and the effects and consequences of this measure, imposed without penalty and passed on to them. In its entirety and substance, this new price increase also demonstrates the opposite of the “social” nature of today’s state, which today’s officials occasionally proclaim. On the contrary, it expresses ruthlessness and an inability to govern. Examining the figures and percentages behind the new fuel prices makes the ruthlessness of the Meksi Government’s “social economy” even clearer. It is no accident that the price of diesel hits small fuel traders hard; under the new conditions, it is calculated to be almost equal to the ceiling prices for this product set by the Government. Meanwhile, in the face of this blow, the big players—the powerful fuel traders who trade not by tanker truck but by ship—have been privileged. They undoubtedly bring in fuel at a lower cost and sell it at a high price. The economic logic is clear: Let dozens of small firms go bankrupt and deprive the hundreds of people behind them of their livelihoods. Meanwhile, create ample room for the powerful firms to operate and move toward monopolization—firms such as “Shqiponja”-TAP and others, some of them with party interests as well. This is not the logic of the state or of a social economy, but of ruthless competition, encouraged and supported by protection from a state that is powerless yet ruthless. S. R.

Principality mentalities