Mehmet Shehu’s self-criticism: “Apart from the other reasons stated in my self-criticism, there were two basic reasons that made me…” / Bureau Meeting, December 17, ’81

Dashnor Kaloçi

Twenty-fourth parts

Memorie.al publishes some documents issued by the Central State Archive (fund of the former Central Committee of the ALP), where there is a voluminous file with archival materials which bear the logo ‘Top secret’, which belong to the period of years 1981-1982, with reports, reports, evidence, information, minutes of the meetings of the Politburo and the secretariat of the Central Committee of the ALP, etc., starting from what was held to review and analyze the self-criticism of the former Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu in December 1981, because he had allowed the engagement of his son, Skënder, “with a girl who had some political fugitives in her family circle”, the marathon meeting of the Politburo on the afternoon of December 17 his year that lasted until the late hours of that night, where that problem was discussed with the debates and discussions of all members who “crucified” former Prime Minister Shehu, the meeting of the morning of December 18, after the news that Prime Minister Mehme Shehu had killed himself, the marathon meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the ALP on September 20, 1982, with the topic: “Analysis of serious mistakes of Kadri Hazbiu, committed during the period when he was deputy minister and minister of Internal Affairs “, where Enver Hoxha initially launched accusations against Kadri Hazbiu, luring him as a” loyalist of the Party “, (in order for him to” open the heart of the Party “, speaking against former Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu) , where at the beginning of his speech, Enver said: “After the coup in the army, we discovered the traitorous group in economics of Abdyl Këllez, Koço Theodhos and Kiço Ngjela with friends. We also discovered this group here; it was not discovered by the State Security. The same can be said about the discovery of the group of Fadil Paçrami, Todi Lubonja and a number of other people connected with them, such as Ismail Kadareja with friends, the Security did not reveal, but that hostile work was discovered by the Committee Central ”, etc.! All these and other documents with the logo ‘Top secret’, will be published in several issues in a row, exclusively by Memorie.al

Continued from the previous issue

ALBANIAN LABOR PARTY

CENTRAL SECRETARY COMMITTEE

-General Sector-

                                                                      PROCESS – VERBAL

OF THE MEETING OF THE POLITICAL BUREAU OF THE CENTRAL AFFAIRS OF THE ALP DATES

                                                                      17 E 18 DECEMBER 1981

Agenda: Analysis of the serious mistake made by the member of the Politburo, Mehmet Shehu, regarding the engagement of a boy with a girl with a very bad political composition.

This meeting is attended by all members of the Politburo, with the exception of Comrade Hekuran Isai, who did not come because his mother died last night.

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Today on the agenda of the Politburo we have the review of a political mistake made by Comrade Mehmet. As you know, for this he has submitted a written self-criticism and you have become aware of its content. If comrade Mehmet, has any additions to make, can he do it, or should we start the discussions right away?

COMRADE MEHMET SHEHU: Another addition, Comrade Enver, I have nothing to do. I have tried and reflected as much as I could to realize the causes, the reasons why I made this grave political mistake and as much as I could, I will draw lessons from this suffering. Let friends express their opinion, how to look at it and how to judge it reasonable. I’m ready to listen.

COMRADE SIMON STEFANI: I have some questions to ask Comrade Mehmet.

1. Do you think, comrade Mehmet that you have taken into account or not taken into account what attitude the Party would have towards this wrong action of yours?
2. Are these actions you have taken a direct or indirect result of the class enemy’s pressure on you?
3. How many negative traits or habits, as you call them that appear to you have negatively influenced your work as a leader?
4. Have you informed the basic party organization about the mistake you made and has it been discussed according to party norms?
5. With all the criticism I made, why did you send the boy out again? Why did he not first undergo as a communist the analysis of his action in the basic organization of the party?

SHOKU LLAMBI GEGPRIFTI:

1. Excessive and excessive sentimentality outside the communist norms, says Comrade Enver, has been a negative influencing factor on Comrade Mehmet. He says that this pronounced micro-bourgeois sentimentality, outside the communist logic, has pushed him to do such an action for his son, Skënder. I ask: Are you completely free now from this sentimentality?
2. In his self-criticism, Comrade Mehmet says that; if he had been helped by his friends and people for the findings they had and had pointed out to him, the wrong step he was taking, would he have taken this action? Which friends are you talking about, Comrade Mehmet, who knew this problem and did not point it out?

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: Are there any other questions?

SHOKU RAMIZ ALIA:

1. Do you have full conviction, comrade Mehmet, that this action, this great political mistake that you made has damaged the Party and that if it had not intervened, you would have damaged it very much?

COMRADE PALI MISKA:

1. In the self-criticism made by comrade Mehmet, he acquits them completely innocent and exempts both Fiqret and his son from responsibility, while their responsibility is clear. Why does comrade Mehmet do this and take everything upon him?
2. Are you convinced that the big political mistake you made is a logical consequence of all those flaws, weaknesses and mistakes you had at work and in life? Do you know or do you not know these flaws, weaknesses and mistakes? The political mistake you made is not something accidental, nor the thought of acting one day.

COMRADE RITA MARKO:

1. Are you crazy about what is being said in the masses about the attitude and behavior of your little boy and his bride?
2. Are you crazy about arrogance in your behaviors and actions? Is it about occasional, momentary performances, as you say in self-criticism, or the result of arrogance and overestimation of your thoughts and work?

You in self-criticism say that, if my friends had reprimanded me, I would have corrected the mistake. I ask: Did you have anyone at that time, to get in touch with friends who were missing and especially with anyone, who was close to Comrade Enver? Have you had any difficulty not asking them?

COMRADE PROKOP MURRA:

1. Comrade Enver at the last meeting of the Politburo raised a number of very important issues; your self-criticism was submitted a day later. Now I ask: Why does comrade Mehmet not express himself in his self-criticism about anything related to these issues?

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: I raised some organizational issues in the Politburo.

CUMMER LENKA ÇUKO:

1. If a simple communist had done this, what attitude would you, Comrade Mehmet, have taken?
2. Has comrade Mehmet been informed what was the echo of his action in the measures below?
3. Comrade Mehmet, by overestimating his work, did him not overestimate his own area or province and underestimate others?

SHOKU MUHO ASLLANI:

1. Who has known Qazim Turdiu’s family before, as a family or as an individual, comrade Mehmet or comrade Fiqrete? Their son’s engagement to Qazim’s daughter, just happened by chance?

COMRADE BESNIK BEKTESHI:

1. As for self-criticism, did comrade Mehmet do it on his own initiative, or did his friends ask for it?

– To add a little about the question asked by Comrade Ramiz; would the Party be harmed if this engagement ended, and what harms does Comrade Mehmet think, specifically, would his action bring to the Party?

COMRADE MANUSH MYFTIU:

1. Comrade Mehmet says that if he made another mistake, which he made, he would not allow it. How does he judge this? When he does not allow another to make such a mistake, why did he allow himself to do so?
2. In what position does he put himself in relation to others?
3. It is said that one of the reasons that led him wrong is sentimentality. But in this case, when it comes to a serious political mistake, should sentimentality go so far as to violate the Party line?

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: You can answer, Comrade Mehmet, that it seems to me that there are no more questions.

COMRADE MEHMET SHEHU: Comrade Simon asked what I thought, what position would the Party take, if the engagement had taken place? You mean, like, saltines and their ilk, eh? I think the Party would take the right stance, would not approve it and I would break up the marriage, so I would understand the mistake. But did you take into account, says Comrade Simon, this issue at the time you made this decision?

As I explain in my self-criticism, at that moment I judged as I judged and certainly did not judge correctly. I was more attracted to the micro-bourgeois sentimentality towards the boy, for the reasons stated in my self-criticism, and thought that such an engagement might be possible. Among the other reasons, stated in my self-criticism, two have been the underlying causes that made me go through that mistake.

First, the issue of psychological trauma, which the boy has long had; secondly, my mistake and this was the most serious, that I separated this family, I considered it in the narrow border of Qazim Turdiu, starting from what this family that has severed relations with the rest of the its external. Then there are other causes that count, such as kidnapping that makes me make mistakes, etc.

COMRADE PALI MISKA: Why do you put the boy before the interest of the Party?

COMRADE MEHMET SHEHU: I, Comrade Pali, in this matter did not start from putting the interests of the Party, under the interests of the son and the family, because the fact is that in this mistake I made the interest of the Party was affected, the interest was also affected of the family and of the son himself. So I did not leave her. If I started from this, to put the interest of the son and the family above the interest of the Party, I would be an enemy, but I did not judge the matter that way. In this controversial mess, I completely agree with all the criticism.

COMRADE SIMON STEFANI: No, Comrade Mehmet, I am not at all satisfied with the answer you give. I’m not happy about the fact that you do not, as it were, extract the roots of the error, why did you do it. Do not think that the Party will forgive you for this mistake, that you are, as it were, apart from others, why do you know the line of the Party, you know? Regarding the division that you make of the Turdi family, into close and extended families, where do you find these names when the Party with the orientation and with special instructions of the Politburo, has specified well, who enters the trunk of the family, relatives and other people, leaving no way to graze? Our concern lies in what Comrade Paul said, why did you put the interests of the family, the interests of the son above the interests of the Party?

COMRADE MEHMET SHEHU: No, Comrade Simon, I did not start from putting the interests of the boy above the interests of the Party. I thought wrongly taking Qazim Turdiu’s family as a decorated professor and staff, that a boy has in university, a girl also has in university, his wife has an accountant in the Autotractors Factory, that there are also fugitives, but that has severed relations. I was even informed that Qazim had been asked by the State Security authorities to write to his brother in the United States of America, to sever ties with the enemies, that is, to give up hostile work, but he did not has accepted, and then Qazimi had severed relations with him.

COMRADE KADRI HAZBIU: What does this matter? In my opinion, this does not matter. Why should we go into these details?

COMRADE ENVER HOXHA: He wrote a letter to him, he did not write a letter to him, this is an agency job and you know these things, Mehmet.

COMRADE KADRI HAZBIU: What does this matter to us that do not make it easier at all?

COMRADE MEHMET SHEHU: This is how I judged this work. This has certainly damaged the work of the Party, but I did not start from putting the interests of the boy above the interests of the Party. I judged it wrong. Another question is that the negative properties…

COMRADE SIMON STEFANI: Excuse me, Comrade Enver, I want to ask another question: Regarding the problem of the class war, you Comrade Mehmet do not waver in the Party line?

COMRADE MEHMET SHEHU: No, there is no oscillation in the Party line, I think. Here, in this matter I have erred and I admit the error. This, as I say in self-criticism, is a grave mistake.

COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: Well, how do you then accept the opinion that you would influence the girl? What does this mean? Can we advise the Party: O men, take the girls of the kulaks, take the girls of the ballistas, and introduce them to the family that we will influence them? Is not this an opportunistic thesis?

COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: Yes, so does not this mean that you are not consistent with the class struggle? /Memorie.al

The next issue follows