By Prel Milani
“The story of the letter I sent to Ramiz Alia” –
Memorie.al / This letter was written ten years before the events of “Students’ December”, there is no correction, as I thought and experienced the events at that time. Neither yesterday in that “hell”, nor today in this “heaven”, never with servility, nor hypocrisy, I have never called black white, nor mashalla evil. All those who are dismissed today as “persecuted or “dissident”, former students, or senior cadres, who have not received a sentence, not even a punishment from any court, are all hypocrites and liars. Being a student in the system in the past, it was a special status for privileged people (not everyone could become a student), which meant a guaranteed job, a good salary for that time, to rank at the top of the social pyramid, to give authority. and differentiated social respect.
Today it is quite easy to mention the failures of the system, but then, the absolute conviction not only of the masses, but also of intellectuals, artists and young people, was that; we are dealing with a progressive system, for which we all applauded.
As a student, at that time I could see a big contrast between what was being propagated and reality, that’s why I wrote this letter to the president of this country. I did not write to Ramiz Ali that I was suffering more than others, not even for heroism, but my heart hurt more than others, who hypocritically declared only successes and achievements.
Even now, I am not looking for decorations, as they have taken the most devout ex-communists converted to anti-communists, fundamentalists, but at that time telling the bare truth was a naive adventure, as you risked being declared a heretic, by the mercenary species homos-serviles, who waved the flag of democracy all day today with spoons in their belts.
I wrote the letter after a scandalous trip that was common then, from Shoshi to Shkodër. Since I didn’t have the calligraphy I wanted, I chose Kolë Zef Bungu who not only had a perfect handwriting, but I had him, a friend and a very trusted friend.
After a month, I was taking a lecture on the History of the Middle Ages, when the Director of the Institute at that time, Dhora LLoja, came and took me out of the lesson, saying: “Go, they will ask you in the Party Committee.” I asked him, who is looking for me and why was he looking for me?
She told me: “Go, because there you will learn why”! I remembered the matter of the letter and went quite calmly. For the first time in my life, that day I set foot in that building, where the political direction of all of Shkodra was directed.
After I introduced myself at the entrance, it was clear that the messenger had been instructed to escort me to the office of one of the Committee Secretaries (George Grabova and another party instructor). He welcomed me politely, asked me my name, where I was from and what faculty I was attending.
– “Listen – he said to me: – Friend Ramiz Alia has sent a letter on your behalf. By his order, it was requested that the letter be analyzed, urgently. Do you know anything about this letter or is it anonymous and someone put your name on it?!
I said, I have written the letter with full conviction and awareness and I am glad to be asked to verify the truth of my statements.
– “Listen, boy, many problems that you have raised remain, but you have reached that point, enough to push the reality! Go to school, dedicate yourself to learning! We, as a party, know the situation very well and will take measures to solve any problem. I advise you, you are young, therefore, be careful and don’t take things too fast”!
– “I’m ready to deal specifically with those I raised one by one”, I declared again in mine.
– “Boy, go! But don’t forget that the Party’s 40-year work is not blackened” and he counted my successes… I went to school and then, I didn’t see any positive reaction to the problems I raised, but I realized that the one who had to react was me…!
When I look today, those who yesterday cheered all servility have been converted from “priests to monks”, while I, and many other intellectuals, are dismissed as not wanting to power, although we have not a single sin that binds us, nor with today, nor the past.
Then, I feel like paraphrasing the great Mighen: “Ah, if I don’t have a powerful fist to strike right at the heart of the servility, intrigue, and Donkishtotesque pseudo-democracy that we are building”!
The contents of the letter I sent to Ramiz Ali
Dear friend Ramiz!
I, who am writing to you, am a student of the Higher Pedagogical Institute, Shkodër, from the Shoshi area in Dukagjin.
In this letter, I want to make you personally aware of some very serious flaws of a subjective nature, which are known in time even by the bodies of the Party of Power in Shkodra, for which, unfortunately, no measures have been taken.
1 – One of the most disturbing and evident problems, for the people of our area, is the problem of passenger transportation.
Although 42 years have passed since the liberation, in Shosh of Dukagjin, a special car for passenger transport has not yet set foot, for reasons of 20 km. unsuitable roads, while it is known that over 2500 inhabitants live here.
If we keep in mind that during the winter period, the river bank road is also blocked for 6 months, the entire population of the three provinces of Dukagjin, over 14 thousand inhabitants, who together have only one 25-seater bus at their disposal, that goes three times a week, only as far as the village of Kir.
No one thinks how to solve the problem of travelers, who have to walk for 8-9 hours, to wait there all day, to find a drush truck, to travel to the city.
No one thinks how to solve the problem of the students, who stay for 3-4, even 5 months, without going to their homes, when the distance from Shkodra is not even 60 km.!
People, in order to meet urgent needs, are forced to travel in a truck on top of the body in rain, snow, cold, dust, even together with livestock (pigs, calves, cows, goats and lambs, etc.).
I have made such trips myself dozens and dozens of times, even a week ago, I witnessed such a shocking and dramatic scene, when a woman sick for childbirth, was traveling lying in a coma, in the body of a car, loaded with over 30 passengers, a cow, two calves and 4-5 piglets.
How can one remain silent and allow such a situation in the face of these facts, when dozens of accidents are known?! The freshest and most terrible is that of August 1985, where 28 people died at once and dozens more were seriously injured.
The travel ticket in these inhumane conditions, between the rain and above the trees, costs 100 old lek and has a higher cost than the Shkodër – Tirana ticket. I made this evident problem known to the First Secretary of the Party Committee of the Shkodër district, in a popular meeting held in Shosh.
“Why do you need the bus, to run away from the cooperative and drive around the city”, was the answer?! As a student and young man, I was completely amazed, without communication, there can be neither development nor progress.
Is a semi-isolated state of this area right, where the Party’s main goal is to improve the welfare of the people?!
2 – A very disturbing problem is also the problem of education. The low level in which he is constantly is the subject of social discussions of our residents. Of the 4 8-year schools that Shoshi has, there is neither a mathematics teacher with a higher education, nor a biology teacher, and only one language and history teacher.
Approximately 50% of the educational staff are without secondary pedagogical education, while most of them are foreigners from the city or the villages of the field. If there are no local cadres, the fact surprises me, why aren’t cadres with relevant education sent there?!
From this reason comes the very low quality of teaching and students, which is clearly expressed in the impossibility of completing secondary education even by many “good” students who graduate from these 8-year schools!
3 – When there is a lack of pedagogical staff, when there is a need for secondary medical personnel, I am surprised by the fact that the Executive Committee of Shkodra does not grant scholarships or study rights for the pedagogical and medical school, but only for veterinarians, zootechnicians , agricultural honors, etc.?!
4 – Right now it is quite impossible for 71% of students to continue high school, as scholarships are very few and a high school, which is on the Riverside, does not meet all the students’ requirements, but also many others are unable, due to distance, around 7-8 hours round trip.
For this reason, the need to open a high school in the area of Shoshi arises. It is unfortunate, but it is a fact like the light of the sun, that for nearly 45 years, from the Shoshi area, not even 10 people have finished higher education!
5 – Our cooperative has a limited area, with poor soils, therefore in the year with the best productivity, bread is provided for only 6-7 months, the working day has never exceeded 100 Lek and the average for many years is 45-55 Lek per working day. Livestock, which actually has more suitable conditions, is in the background.
The number of heads has been decreasing and today it is several times smaller than before collectivization. From the end of November, until the beginning of spring planting, there is no work front for the cooperatives, if livestock had more priority, people would have the opportunity to be employed.
6 – How can the education of students and youth be done about the birthplace, when there is no museum in the entire area, when there is only one tombstone for the Dukagjin Partisan Squad and there is no other for the wars and patriots of the past.
7 – Albania has been producing bread in the country for years, but the people have complaints, since the bread is ration. 700 – gr. are insufficient, for people engaged in active physical work, in harsh conditions of frosty alpine winter.
8 – These conditions have also influenced the way of life, which is far from being socialist and cultured, but clothed with patriarchal and conservative elements, bringing serious obstacles to the youth, which is very little propagated to the mass of young people.
The development continues, especially of the patriarchal mortuary, with pronounced tendencies of primitivism. When a person dies, for three days in a row, huge crowds gather, with food and drink, meat, brandy, wine, etc., almost like a wedding.
The question is never asked, what will the family economy suffer next?! How can a family with only one cow afford all these expenses?
Is it right that for the death of the grandmother, the only cow is slaughtered and the nephews and nieces are left with dry bread?! The consequences are seen in the way of life, in the clothing and food of the children, who in many cases resemble the little Flower!
9 – All of Shoshi in the center of the cooperative, there is only one store with mixed items, while there are such stores in every council, we lack confections, kitchen utensils, joinery, the lack of which has directly affected a cultured life.
10 – Meanwhile, when the village is very broken and with very harsh climatic conditions, the lack of a hospital with several beds for emergencies is very felt.
There are still no birthing houses and it is unimaginable for women to give birth at home nowadays.
Dear friend Ramiz!
As the young man that I am, my soul aches for my hometown, that’s why I personally informed you. Let the truth of my statements be verified. I have faith in the Party with you at the head, dear friend Ramiz, that these problems will be solved as soon as possible!
We give you as much as the mountains!
With honors and respect
Prelë Milani I.L.P. Shkoder
Faculty of History – Geography
Shkodra 5.01.1986
PS: But today, after 17 years of democracy, what is the situation of those people who still live in those mountains?! Memorie.al
(Prelë Milani Poet and publicist, Shkodër)
