By Alexander Meksi
The fourth part
(‘Palace of Brigades’ December 11, 1990)
Memorie.al/Ramiz Alia enters the hall applauded where the meeting was scheduled, accompanied by the Minister of Education Skënder Gjinushi and the first secretary of the Albanian Working Youth Union, Lisen Bashkurti. Alia first meets with some of the participants in this meeting, and then gives a speech, announcing the decisions taken by the Plenum of the Central Committee of the Albanian Labor Party, regarding the latest developments in the country.
Continued from the previous issue
Ramiz Alia: You go, start teaching, go to school, learning, work for what you want, create what you want, your program, implement them, seek the laws, the law in the Ministry of Justice, everything and work normally (Interference from the hall: school ….) But do not seek to enter some streets, which avoid understanding the realization of exactly this goal that we all have together. Now if you understand, this situation will continue like this, you should be careful that this is not in your favor. This situation is not in favor of the country, development…
Azem Hajdari: This situation has several factors as a factor…
Ramiz Alia: Now let’s not look at the causes…
Azem Hajdari: This situation is in hand. You and we have this situation in hand.
Ramiz Alia: You and I finished, I finished with you. You have to go now.
(Intervention from the hall: Comrade Ramiz we have something, we also have something, in this program …)
Ramiz Alia: This brother is not a program, they are just requests.
Azem Hajdari: From these requests that we submitted to you, is there anything that is not accepted there? Which requests are not accepted?
Ramiz Alia: What requests, because I have no requests here.
Arben Demeti: Will public opinion be clarified on the truth of this movement?
Ramiz Alia: Here you have that editor of Rinia, tomorrow the newspaper Rinia will be published, all this conversation we had, or it will summarize it.
(Feedback from the hall; catch it in turn)
Tefalin Malshyti: We demand freedom of the press and speech without censorship?
Ramiz Alia: There is no censorship for this work.
Shinasi Rama: There is censorship, there is.
(Feedback from the hall)
Ramiz Alia: Tell me where it is? Where where where is it? (Debates in the hall). Listen good guy here.
Edmond Budina: When we talk about press freedom we are talking about our newspaper.
Ramiz Alia: When you talk about your newspaper, I told you to go, follow the laws. Without laws there is no newspaper, be convinced.
Azem Hajdari: What about until the laws are regulated?
Arben Demeti: The status of the journalist was also mentioned in the newspaper ‘Zeri i Popullit’.
Ramiz Alia: There are many statuses that need to be defined. Let statuses be set not only for journalists but for the whole.
Arben Demeti: I do not know if I have in mind ‘Zëri e Popullit’ that talked about this work and said concretely that: the status of a journalist should be determined, as many of our friends have suffered from bureaucracy.
Ramiz Alia: What did they suffer?
Arben Demeti: They have suffered. That is why the status of a journalist should be done.
Ramiz Alia: Bureaucracy is a very general concept.
Edmond Budina: In Student City many opinions have been expressed, even many different opinions. Will these be reflected in the press?
Ramiz Alia: What? Get your newspaper out.
Edmond Budina: Your party has 7 or 10 newspapers.
Ramiz Alia: No, there is not, only one newspaper has ‘Zëri e Popullit’. Others have party committees in the districts. (Intervention from the hall: it is the newspaper ‘Puna’)
Edmond Budina: Can we express our thoughts openly in the press; this is what this friend is talking about or not? You say your thoughts openly. Will we say our thoughts as we have them in the newspaper ‘Zeri i Popullit’?
Ramiz Alia: Write them, say them as you have them, but I am not the editor of the newspaper ‘Zeri i Popullit’. (Debates in the hall ….). You boy so far tell me otherwise.
Tefalin Malshyti We has a ‘Student’ newspaper. In fact, why should that newspaper be once in two weeks? Why not pass it into our hands?
Ramiz Alia: Listen, you have in mind, raise those issues on which I can tell you yes or no. As for the issue of whether you have the newspaper, whether the youth has the newspaper, whether it is a girl or a boy, I cannot tell you about it. (Interference from the hall: we pose problems). Go talk to the University youth committee and find out.
Mimoza Ferraj: Comrade Ramiz, forgive me, I am now out of the hospital. Azem one minute! Comrade Ramiz, I have been in the hospital for two days, today I came out. And at least convince myself that those sticks I ate on my head and body belong to me or not?
Ramiz Alia: When, where did you eat them?
Mimoza Ferraj: On Sunday.
Ramiz Alia: Where did you eat these sticks?.. in what place was it?
Mimoza Ferraj: One Museum.
Ramiz Alia: To be convinced, sorry. I do not support it as far as I know; I absolutely do not support the use of violence. (Interference from the hall: so everyone says). I am against. But remember, I told you before that there are laws that must be enforced. I asked you not by chance where did you eat those sticks? That to get there, thousands of people have descended from dormitories to the Art High School. The police stopped, warned, warned, and warned. I do not know if you were there or not, but as they reported to me, they also threw stones.
Mimoza Ferraj: No, comrade Ramiz, you were misinformed
(Reactions from the hall: Not only with sticks, comrade Ramiz, but also with water)
Ramiz Alia: Dale prit. The problem is to be correct, I do not approve and I am sorry that they beat you and did badly.
Mimoza Ferraj: Comrade Ramiz, I took the police microphone and the police chief beat me.
Ramiz Alia: And you said leave wow?
Mimoza Ferraj: No, comrade Ramiz, we said: We belong to the party, we want the party and we just came out, after we informed you about this manifestation, that there was nothing, (Ramiz Alia intervenes: it was not for nothing) it was not against the law. (Ramiz Alia intervenes: against the law she was my daughter). To reach up to the stroke.
Ramiz Alia: I therefore tell you that about the law of collections, I told you that night about the law of collections, I told you mor boy, I told you be careful, there are some laws, there are some rules. Do not break the laws; do not break the rules, so as not to violate. Now it happened, very bad that it happened.
Arben Lika: It is only about Saturday, not Sunday.
Ramiz Alia: That girl said on Sunday. Do you agree that what happened on Sunday was right do you agree…?
(Noise and words from the hall: in no way …)
Arben Demeti: How is it right to flatten the sons of the people?
(Debate continues …)
Ramiz Alia: Look ore dear friends. Look more boys, no man has been killed, no no.
Arben Lika: One is in a coma
Ramiz Alia: No, it is not true. Sali Berisha, who is a doctor there, reported to me that no one has, that is how he understands me. None. I’m telling you from the people there.
Azem Hajdari: Is anyone arrested?
Ramiz Alia: None
Arben Demeti: Comrade Ramiz, can you listen to me?
Ramiz Alia: No, I do not hear you anymore. That’s why I do not listen to you..
(Noise and words in the hall).
Arben Demeti: You do not listen to me. Then I am telling you one thing that you are not allowed to beat the sons of the people, to terrorize them, with people who wear uniforms of all kinds. Who are these people without uniforms, people wearing all kinds of clothes? Are not those who beat the sons of the people? Whatever they may have done, every action must be curbed. (Intervention by Ramiz Alia: You said your opinion now, be patient be patient). You told us that you fired, you left the Politburo, and you did very well, although we did not ask you to do so. This had to be done first. Meanwhile we have come here with a correct decision: to dismiss Hekuran Isai (applause … there are debates in the hall) We ask you, as President, to ask the Council of Ministers to dismiss Hekuran Isai urgently, and on Friday when you make the appointment with us report us on this request. This is the decision; this is the opinion of the students.
Ramiz Alia: No, avash avash.
Arben Lika: Comrade Ramiz to conclude can you listen to us please
Zef Brozi: When we debate we must listen…
Ramiz Alia: No, I do not want to listen anymore, I do not want to. (Tefalin Malshyti intervenes: when we say we will debate, listen to us, comrade Ramiz). I told you from the beginning that when dialogue takes place, it must be democratic, cultured and patient. (Intervenes Azem Hajdari: You must listen to us, Comrade Ramiz. We trust you). You should not lack patience or logical way of dialogue. Why do I say this? I say this you understand because there are laws, like it or like somebody, the laws exist. What is this law? It is the law in this case that of collections, and this law states that permission must be sought for this issue. Understand. While you were in the University dormitories, this law did not work because you were ultimately inside the house.
(Hall: acted, acted).
Arben Lika: We told you that night that we met who was guilty of that action in the student city.
Ramiz Alia: Yes, yes, and that officer was arrested, whose cobra was stolen. (Feedback from the hall). Now you want to know everything, I’m telling you that the officer whose cobra was stolen has been put in jail.
Arben Lika: He is a provocateur, comrade Ramiz, he is a provocation. There are also provocateurs from the police. (Intervenes Azem Hajdari: you must know a truth, Comrade Ramiz). There is also a provocateur from the police.
Ramiz Alia: The officer whose cobra was stolen, that officer shouted and shot someone. That’s right.
(noise and words in the hall).
Arben Lika: Now I was with the group that came to you. We hugged you and told you, comrade Ramiz, we will take your message to the students, and we will return the friends to the dormitory based on your message. Once we got there when we picked up the megaphones and started explaining to our friends, so here is a matter of minutes, always minutes, what we are calling provocation happened, i.e., the theft of the revolver. At these moments the Minister of Internal Affairs gave the order three times in a row: fall, fall, fall on them. After that, forgive me for shaking my hands a little and maybe even tears can save me, but I have seen scenes that I will never forget. I have seen people fall to the ground, I have heard the cries of a girl, I have seen horrible schemes. Then, I do not know what I did, but I did what I went and I caught, that the law is humane comrade Ramiz, let us not forget it is humane, I directly caught comrade Hekuran and told him “we were at comrade Ramiz , he promised us we would not be touched. “You violated his order.” He said it’s not true, it’s not true, you saw it for yourself. No I said, you gave the order. Thats all.
Ramiz Alia: Avash avash. Wait, dale, dale. (Interference from the hall: Is he right). Is he right? There is, as there is no interior minister is. I have no right to give. (Laughs). I neither defend violence, nor do I agree with the use of violence, no one agrees with its use, so the law that came out has been passed. That law has come out that prohibits illegal gatherings. You have to ask permission to do such gatherings. The point is, even I therefore informed you amicably. I told you to be careful not to cross the limits of the law because as long as you are where you are, the law does not catch you, then you are crossing, the law catches you. Now that friend there says it is categorically against the law (reactions from the hall: we are against the law). Listen to one thing. The problem is that whoever does not apply the law, the law must act against him, and the law must act on both sides. At that given moment, that officer, who was the first culprit, is in jail (feedback from the hall: this is your tactic). No no it’s not tactical work, that officer provoked that he shot first. You who want the dismissal of the minister, are not discussed in this way, should be a little calmer in the discussion. (Voices are heard: to cancel). The law on collections has the whole world. Even the West German law, I have read it with my own eyes says: the officer in charge, says stop once, stop twice, stop three times and has to shoot. (Feedback from the hall: there is no such thing). Thua ti? Or I will bring you the law tomorrow and you will see.
Mimoza Ferraj: And why should we copy the Germans? We make the laws ourselves, why should we copy others?
(noise and words in the hall).
Ramiz Alia: We will make those laws as well. The law we have made is the law that suits us. Each country has its own laws. Should we walk on normal or abnormal paths? (Interference from the hall: this is abnormal). If you are looking to walk on abnormal paths, know that they do not lead to the aggravation of the condition. So I finally told you, I tell you again that neither side should go towards violence.
Azem Hajdari: We are not for violence
Ramiz Alia: We must not walk towards violence. No one should walk towards violence. That is, we must obey the laws. If the laws of the state are broken, whoever breaks them is wrong. Therefore, there is as much experience in the world as you want that has led to violence. I personally am against such a path. That is why we must try to talk, to be for dialogue, to talk, to be regular with things, to speak for all, even for state organizations, for all the people. Remember, I invite you for this. To subordinate everything to the interests of the people, to subordinate everything to the interests of the homeland. Dear friends, please be careful, be careful. The situation is not properly assessed, the general situation. Situations are not as calm as they seem on the surface, so do not leave trails, for dangers that may threaten the freedom and independence of our homeland. Here it’s a task for all of us, from me to the youngest child. This I call on you. Students, youth in the first place which has been and is a living force of the nation, which is a force which will advance our socialist homeland, will advance the interests of the people. Therefore in this plan in this framework each of you to put forces and efforts. You decide how you want for this association you will do? Do not involve me in these, because then you will ask me to become a member of the party as well (laughs in the hall). Do not put me in those, so to speak, plans that so you. I advise you once again to go to school, to go to lessons, to work there for all these plans, programs, these goals that you have (feedback from the hall).
Arben Demeti: Initially I would say that…
Ramiz Alia: Just look, look before we decide on that issue, on that issue I would tell you one thing, to set a rule. I for myself am for rules; I am to respect certain norms in our lives. Now, if we are going to walk this path, you realize this is the right path. If we think we will use other ways they are wrong. (Arben Imami intervenes: No, comrade Ramiz, no one …) I am for the path of dialogue, of quiet discussion and for this I do not spare anything. I was ready to come there too to the student dormitory (feedback from the hall). Dale dale do not rush, i.e., I did that even though I knew (students did not go to school without you coming) was just a logical thing. Look how many of us are here … I have never rejected you, my wish is to keep in touch with young people, to have a dialogue with them. The question is here if a meeting will take place…
Azem Hajdari: The dialogue must be honest, there is no need to say you have to go to class and then have a dialogue.
Ramiz Alia: No, it does not make sense now. You put conditions on me now. (Intervention from the hall: these are the demands of the students)
Azem Hajdari: We do not set conditions, we are presenting the requests.
Arben Demeti: Let me make a summary of your speech very briefly, because I hope that this will not be the last meeting, because as we received the announcement on Friday we will have a meeting with you at the Palace of Congresses. Since I am here at six o’clock it is a little late, but we also discuss this issue.
Ramiz Alia: We can do it in two if you want…
Arben Demeti: It is not early in two, but we are discussing it. Now with the problems we posed, here especially with that concerning political pluralism and that of the creation of the student party and the young intellectual, are very important cardinal problems. We consider them and not only us but all the youth, all the people, this is how they will consider it when they find out it is a historic day of Albania (long applause).
Ramiz Alia: Now the news will have given what we are doing.
Arben Demeti: After all, since we are on the eve of the elections, and this, among other things, made this movement more immediate is that this organization, this political party, which will be created very soon within a few days, to us, to present our candidates in all constituencies of the country and we have full confidence that we will win the majority of the parliament, the majority of the People’s Assembly. This is the very lofty goal we have. Achieving a majority in parliament, we will do what we can to turn our parliament from a lever so far not very efficient for Albania, as it has not played at all the role it should have played, in a powerful legislative body of Albania. , who will decide the fate of the people and the homeland in the most accurate and complete way. You know about your figure. I personally wanted to tell you something, even though I did not want you to know what I told you. I have described you since the beginning of this year, in conversations with students, your figure, since you gave the first impetus to the democratization process and I had in mind others, a web of curbing spiders (intervenes Ramiz Alia: No, no, do not talk like that) for this work, so I said, we have to raise our voices a little for the figure of comrade Ramiz, because as if you did not feel much.
Ramiz Alia: No I do not need, I do not want.
Arben Demeti: You do not need it; if I had a veil on my face it would be better. The fact is that you do not have a bust; we have not seen a bust of Ramiz Aliza anywhere?
Ramiz Alia: There should not be (feedback from the hall: there should not be).
Arben Demeti: Clearly, it should not be, it is very fair. Yes we have many other busts not to mention here.
Ramiz Alia: They deserve it. (Long applause).
Arben Demeti: But as necessary and necessary is your being there, so necessary and so necessary should be the elimination of some people…
(Debates in the hall)
Arben Imami: You are the pioneer of democracy.
Ramiz Alia: Look, do not praise me, because then I will get angry.
Arben Imami: There are no praises.
Ramiz Alia: I’m leaving now. I do not need them. Are you done now?
Arben Demeti: No, I am not done, I have a lot to say … let’s leave it for another time.
Ramiz Alia: Well do not spend it all now. Let’s close,
(intervention from the hall: we love you very much).
I love you too. /Memorie.al
Published according to the whitewashing of cassettes recorded by VAT.
