From DASHNOR KALOÇI
Part Four
Memorie.al / When not even three months had passed since the declaration of political pluralism in Albania, and the country was on the verge of the first pluralist elections to be held after nearly 45 years of rule by the communist regime, led first by Enver Hoxha and then by his successor Ramiz Alia, on March 6, 1991, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the PPSH (Party of Labour of Albania), headed by First Secretary Ramiz Alia, held a lengthy meeting. During this meeting, several of the main events that had occurred recently were analyzed, also making a retrospective of all that had happened over the span of a year. Beginning with the events of Shkodër in January 1990, concerning the removal of Stalin’s bust, then those of Kavajë; the events of July 2nd, when around 6,000 people entered foreign embassies in Tirana and left Albania; the coincidence of these events with the declaration of Kosovo’s Constitution on that same July 2nd; the “implication of the international reaction,” led by the CIA, the French, and the Yugoslavs, aiming to destabilize Albania; the student youth protests in the “Student City” in December, which led to the declaration of political pluralism; the mass departures of Albanians from the country across the northwestern and southeastern borders toward Yugoslavia and Greece; the toppling of Enver Hoxha’s monument on February 20, 1991; the mass exodus of the first days of March 1991, when thousands of Albanian citizens seized ships in the country’s main ports and left for the Italian coasts; the danger of a repeat of the embassy incidents; and up to the preparations for the first pluralist elections, which were to be held on March 31, 1991, where, according to the Albanian embassy in Athens, the American ambassador there had refused an invitation to go to Boston, stating that: “events are expected to happen in Albania.”
Regarding these and other matters, reference is made in this secret archival document (long since declassified), taken from the Central State Archive (the fund of the former Central Committee of the PPSH), which contains the minutes of the Politburo meeting. Besides the report of Ramiz Alia, who also dwelt on and spoke about the Democratic Party and its two main leaders, Azem Hajdari and Sali Berisha, it also includes all the discussions of the “comrades of the Politburo” and the secretaries of the Central Committee of the PPSH. For more details on this, etc., we are informed by the document in question, which is published for the first time with its respective facsimiles, by Memorie.al.
Continued from the previous issue
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENT WITH THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE POLITBURO OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PPSH, MARCH 6, 1991
THE PARTY OF LABOUR OF ALBANIA – CENTRAL COMMITTEE
Secretariat – General Department
M I N U T E S
OF THE MEETING OF THE POLITBURO OF THE PARTY’S CENTRAL COMMITTEE
March 6, 1991, 5:00 PM
The Politburo of the Central Committee of the PPSH, in its meeting of March 6, 1991, discussed the events of the last few days and the Letter to be delivered to the Party’s base organizations. The meeting is chaired by Comrade Ramiz Alia, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party of Labour of Albania.
Attending are the members and candidate members of the Politburo, comrades: Adil Çarçani, Besnik Bekteshi, Hekuran Isai, Pali Miska, Vangjel Çërava, Xhelil Gjoni, Llambi Gegprifti, Niko Gjyzari, Xhemal Dymylja, as well as the secretaries of the Party’s Central Committee, comrades: Spiro Dede and Abdyl Backa. Comrade Kiço Mustaqi is absent with a valid reason.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE MEETING
COMRADE HEKURAN ISAI: I say that now we have favorable conditions and this is how the people are convinced that the Party’s leadership has worked and is fighting for the democratization of the country’s life. If we are for democratization, then we must also endure some rapid turns taken under pressure from external and internal situations. For this, we must also make the Party’s base aware, so that it understands correctly.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: But we are not being understood by the Party secretaries of the districts, not to mention the comrades of the Central Committee.
COMRADE HEKURAN ISAI: This is precisely because some first Party secretaries in the districts have fallen under the influence of sectarian and conservative forces that came out with accusations against the Party’s leadership, to leave the Party without leadership. Should the first secretary of the Party of a district come and accuse us of treason because Comrade Enver’s monument was toppled? Whom does he want to bring to the head of the Party?
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: It’s fine that he criticizes us, but then another district’s first secretary comes and tells you: “What if I leave now? Let someone else come in my place.” Well, today Manxhar Binaj came to me and told me that his children are in a bad state; let another comrade come as first secretary in Gjirokastër.
COMRADE HEKURAN ISAI: It’s not just him; there are several who want to leave.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: At a time of war like this, to say that?
COMRADE PALI MISKA: These people are being broken by the situation. In Vlorë they were completely “drowned.”
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: Vlorë has turned into the opposite. Its leading cadres, when we met with representatives from various districts after the toppling of Comrade Enver’s monument, came here with great vehemence.
COMRADE XHELIL GJONI: The first secretary of the Party Committee of the Vlorë district (Halil Hasko) and the chairman of the District Executive Committee (Nedin Hoxha), instead of letting the various district representatives speak; they themselves started and ended the conversation, demanding an accounting from us as to why the monument was toppled in Tirana?
COMRADE HEKURAN ISAI: They did this to show to those people that we are in the same position as you, meaning we are not the ones who have betrayed.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: But what can you say to them now? It seems like we are taking revenge.
Alright, what other opinion is there?
COMRADE BESNIK BEKTESHI: The Letter that has been planned to be sent to all Party base organizations is a good thing, because the Party organizations and the communists are waiting for concrete answers regarding the events we are experiencing. When we hear what you said, Comrade Ramiz, and compare it to the Letter we read today, I am of the opinion that your speech is more complete and concrete, so I think it should be reflected in the Letter.
I have the impression that this Letter also has the spirit of ordinary letters—more of a general appeal than a breakdown of the situation and the phenomena that have emerged. Whereas in your speech there is a more complete analysis.
I think that perhaps this improved Letter could also be approved in the Central Committee, so that this plenum itself would be charged with tasks, so that the comrades become conveyors and fighters in the Party’s base organizations where they serve, to answer questions, because I am fully convinced that there will be many questions in the base organizations.
So I think that in terms of content, the Letter should be made more concrete, and perhaps a plenum could be organized to approve and improve it, clarifying the events not just through a political prism, but also some things along the economic line, as much as can be clarified regarding the economy, because it is quite difficult, it has problems.
The Plenum can be appealed to, because there is a constraint; people are not at work, as you rightly said, we have a distance between state affairs and Party affairs. But in this situation we cannot turn back and tell the secretary to deal with the plantings again, as before. But a middle way to get out of this difficult situation must be found, by appealing to it, by clarifying it more in the Plenum than in the Letter.
I think that in this plenum we should also talk about the election campaign for the People’s Assembly. It is true, as stated in the Letter, that the figure and work of Enver Hoxha gave us help, but if we do not benefit and do not take this help that the masses gave us further, it will be difficult for the election campaign.
The idea of setting up a commission for the new six-page document for organizing the Party Congress is right. This will be a stimulus or an instrument that will create in the communists the conviction that, despite the situations we are going through, at this great event, such as the Party Congress, we will hold the flag high and we are starting to take measures. New names must definitely be included in this commission. I agree with the measure that was mentioned to declare the port of Durrës a military zone. Our meetings, like the one we are having tonight, could be more frequent.
Concluding my opinion, I say that the Letter must be concrete. The Plenum can be held and the ideas can be presented clearly there, personally by you, Comrade Ramiz, as you said tonight, deepening them for sure, because it will be a help for the entire Party and for the comrades of the Plenum. Let’s lose a day. I don’t say to do it today or tomorrow, but once the events that have occurred in Durrës, Vlorë, and in other cities are clarified. Then the issue of the election campaign and the next Party Congress should be interwoven with this. These were my thoughts.
COMRADE SPIRO DEDE: Excuse me, Comrade Besnik, what should the Letter contain regarding the economic aspect?
COMRADE BESNIK BEKTESHI: I mentioned that this aspect is the most difficult, and in the Letter it is only mentioned.
COMRADE HEKURAN ISAI:Does it provide any solution?
COMRADE BESNIK BEKTESHI: No, it may not provide a solution, because I understand how difficult it is, but something must be said to the plenum and the Party organizations, because otherwise the entire Letter or the discussions in the Party organizations will go in the economic direction. That is how I imagine the simple communist. Reading this general letter, as it is now, might take that tendency.
Since the Letter will be worked on in the Party’s base organizations, not in the district plenums, it must be more concrete and more complete, as far as we have the possibility to achieve this. Not to commit ourselves euphorically in the economic field, but a paragraph or three lines as they are in the Letter are insufficient.
As it is, it is quite general. Then there are some terms like “the only socialist country in the world,” which no longer need to be said like that now. There are also some other things that I have noted and can discuss with the comrades secretaries of the Central Committee—some terminology that we also find in previous letters.
COMRADE VANGJEL ÇERAVA: The political situation is as the comrades said. The social situation has many tensions. In our contacts with people, it emerges that the very great concerns are in the economic field. The economic situation is worsening.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA:Before you get into this issue, tell me more concretely, if you have analyzed it, what has changed among the communists of Korçë? My question is more about the city.
COMRADE VANGJEL ÇERAVA: Among the communists of Korçë, what has changed is what has changed all over Albania.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: I want you to help me; you tell me: “what has changed all over Albania”! You have these communists close to you, whereas I do not have them close, so I am asking.
COMRADE HEKURAN ISAI: It is widely said that we communists have no competence left.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: You, first secretary of the Korçë district, have you analyzed the situation of how the communists of Korçë are? What do Raqi Shambli and Niko Çeta say?
COMRADE VANGJEL ÇERAVA: Raqi Shambli and Niko Çeta don’t say anything. The problem is with the communists of the economic enterprises, whereas it is different in the villages. We held open meetings of the Party organizations. The masses that participated in these meetings raised all those problems, while the Party’s base organizations were not in a position to solve them. This creates great concern. As I said, the situation is worsening. The communists have been put in the forefront regarding these economic situations.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: Why have they been put in the forefront?
COMRADE VANGJEL ÇERAVA: They have been put in the forefront because they are being asked. The problems are raised by the enterprises; the administrations try to defend themselves regarding these problems, while the communists are put in defense of the administrations. This has separated them from the masses. The economic situation is worsening. This creates even greater tensions. I say that this must be discussed and it must be said what will be done.
So far, we are not opening any jobs. The number of people who are not being employed is increasing more and more. The supply situation is the same. Now we have the planting campaign, but diesel is missing. What will you say to the agricultural workers? There is no superphosphate either. We will plant without it, but without diesel we cannot do it. This economic situation will make the situation even worse. What is worse is that we are unable to give any perspective. In the end, all the meetings that are held end up with demands in this field.
I think the demands are legitimate. We use the same arguments we have used several times in a row. This makes the work of the communists and ours difficult, and has lowered the authority of the communists and the Party organizations. If it is judged that the Plenum of the Central Committee should be held, I say that this aspect should also be discussed. I am not for being euphoric and giving directions in vain, but a way out must be found.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: Well then, you suggest a way out.
COMRADE VANGJEL ÇERAVA: If I had one, I would say. In Korçë, we mobilized all the people to collect leather, from wherever it was and wherever it was not, and we have produced so many shoe uppers that we have nowhere to put them. But we stopped production now, because there is no alum. What more can we do?
Or since we had no superphosphate, we mobilized people to collect organic fertilizer. That we have in our hands; that we have done. If we haven’t done it well, we will do it even better. The thread for knitwear comes, we have saved as much as possible, but the dyes don’t come. Then with what will we color?
COMRADE LLAMBI GEGPRIFTI: I agree with Comrade Adil’s opinion that now is not the time to go deep into the analysis of the phenomena and problems we have, but rather how to solve those we currently have, which require quick and concrete actions to overcome them. In the electoral program we have approved for the elections, one of the most important points is the housing issue. We have said that within four years we will alleviate the housing issue.
Here we have the weakest point where we will be attacked. In the meetings we will have with the people, as candidates for deputies that we are, we will be put in a tight spot. This year we have planned less investment for construction than last year. For constructions with voluntary contributions, even today as we speak, the sources of financing have not been found. A theory has been found, whoever discovered it, that they should be financed from the profits of the economic enterprises! This is a huge bluff, and I don’t know how we will handle it.
With great willingness to overcome the situation we have, last year we made a commitment to build 3,200 apartments in Tirana, but we only completed 2,600 apartments. Not that we didn’t have the capacity to build 3,200 apartments, but we had great shortages of iron. However, last year was the best year for construction in Tirana, because 2,600 apartments were completed and another 3,500 are in process. This was a great victory.
Morally, I am very troubled; I accept the responsibility I have as chairman of the Executive Committee that we could not fulfill that task, despite the great struggle we waged. But to plan this year for Tirana 600 apartments with state enterprises, that is only half of what was planned last year. And for these 600 apartments, three government decisions have been issued: 200 of them to be given to the Internal Affairs organs for the police, 160 apartments to be given to Valiasi (a factory), because they went on strike, and 150 apartments to be given to the construction enterprises for their works.
These three government decisions exhaust all of the 600 apartments that the construction enterprises are building with their investments for the state. For constructions with voluntary contributions, so far no investments have been allocated at all, because the funds to cover them have not been found, despite all the efforts we have made. On this matter, I have spoken with Comrade Fatos (Nano); we will meet with him these days. I think this problem is one of the strongest points, because we cannot face the people. In Tirana today there are 15,000 requests for housing. / Memorie.al
To be continued in the next issue
