By DASHNOR KALOÇI
Part Two
Memorie.al – The island of Sazan, surrounded mainly by rocky coastline and clear blue water, along with Zvërnec with its monastery on the small island, the sandy beach with dunes, the forest of tall pines, and the rich flora and fauna – which together constitute a rare natural beauty – have for several months become the headline of the day in the media and politics, not only in Albania but also on the international stage (due to a giant tourism project with a complex of villas and resorts planned to be built by a foreign company from the USA). It appears they have not been well-known places only for their picturesque tourist landscape, but also for their underground wealth, such as gas and oil – otherwise known as “black gold.” Among other things, this is also made known by an archival document from 1989, containing the minutes of the meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party of Labour of Albania, chaired by Ramiz Alia, with the participation of Lenka Çuko, member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of the Central Committee, as well as Besnik Bekteshi, member of the Political Bureau and Minister of Industry, Mines, and Energy.
As we will see from the document in question, during the meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the PLA (which were in fact working breakfasts that Ramiz Alia held at the Party House with his subordinates, members of the Bureau and Secretaries of the Central Committee, which were recorded and transcribed), the Minister of Industry, Mines, and Energy, Besnik Bekteshi (considered one of the most prepared and professional figures in the Albanian government of that time), after giving a lengthy summary of his visit to the Tropoja district, speaking mainly about the mineral wealth of that area in the northeast of the country, also paused and spoke about the entire range of issues in the sectors covered by his ministry, such as: oil, gas, chromium, copper, coal, iron, energy, etc., in all districts of the country, from north to south.
Likewise, during that conversation, Minister Bekteshi (who, paradoxically, had long been followed and surveilled by the State Security as a possible agent of the Bulgarian Secret Services, where he had graduated) also spoke at length about foreign companies, such as German-Western ones, Romanian ones, etc., that had offered to search for oil and gas in our country, mainly along the coast of Zvërnec and the island of Sazan, where the first wells had been drilled for oil exploration believed to be at sea depth.
In addition to Minister Bekteshi’s exposition, during that working meeting, Ramiz Alia informed them (Bekteshi and Lenka Çuko, who surprisingly speaks with considerable competence even on mining issues) about the meeting and discussions he had had those days in Tirana with João Amazonas (the chairman of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Brazil), with whom he had consulted on the issue of foreign companies that had offered to search for oil and other mineral resources in our country. On this and other matters, the document in question—recently extracted from the Central State Archive (the fund of the former Central Committee of the PLA) and published for the first time by Memorie.al—informs us.
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE SECRETARIAT OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PARTY OF LABOUR OF ALBANIA, DATED 6.VI.1989, CHAIRED BY RAMIZ ALIA, WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF LENKA ÇUKO AND BESNIK BEKTESHI
M E E T I N G
OF THE COMRADE SECRETARIES OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PARTY
On June 6, 1989
At this meeting, discussions were held on new discoveries in chromium; on the development of the Democratic Front conference in the Tropoja district; on communist militancy; on better concretization of tasks and on the problem of the work and remuneration mechanism; on the progress of work in the oil and other mineral sectors; on the issue of risk-bearing companies; on improving the working methods at the Ministry of Foreign Trade; on some problems arising from the very development of our country; and on various other issues.
The meeting was chaired by Comrade Ramiz Alia, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party. Participating in this meeting were Comrade Lenka Çuko, member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of the Central Committee; and Comrade Besnik Bekteshi, member of the Political Bureau and Minister of Industry, Mines, and Energy.
Continued from the previous issue
I say that the time has come for this to be studied, as it involves a large number of cadres who have a direct connection with production in the entire economic system of the country. The withholding of 10 percent from wages was done with the aim of stimulating production; it was a form of emulation, but people seem to have grown accustomed to the withholding of 10 percent of their salary. Now I say this has turned into indifference.
I think this issue should be examined not only by the Party but also by other state links; it should be studied thoroughly and not superficially, because even material-technical supply – without fetishizing it, as there are many cases where the name of material-technical supply is used to camouflage other defects and shortcomings – is a separate problem in itself, and is a basis for increasing production.
During the study of this issue, other forms of stimulating and encouraging production will emerge, and it is possible to find such forms without imposing a rigid indicator that, if production is not achieved – regardless of the reasons for non-fulfillment – workers will be paid at 90 percent of their wages.
Previously, only the geological enterprise was exempted from this form of remuneration, because that sector is entirely dependent on the imported material-technical base. However, now this sector has also been included in this form of remuneration. In oil, Napoleon Mërtiraj told me, workers have for some time been paid 10 percent less.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: I agree that the remuneration form for cadres working in economic enterprises subject to the 10 percent withholding should be studied, but this should be done in depth, not haphazardly while being satisfied with only one or two variants. The most effective forms that stimulate cadres to increase production should be found. I am not a specialist, but I think one form of remuneration could be this: when an enterprise fulfills the plan at 101 percent, its managers should receive 10 percent more in wages.
This may be suitable for enterprises that work with domestic raw materials and supplies, not for those that depend on imports. Whatever the case, we must rack our brains to find suitable forms of remuneration to stimulate production. In production relations, nothing is unchangeable; conditions change, and relations change as well.
At the current stage of development, for example, the issue of labor and remuneration is a mechanism that should preoccupy the Party. In capitalist countries, the bourgeoisie, with its system, has established the discipline of hunger and the stick to extract maximum profit and to preserve its existence. In those countries, the owner throws the worker out onto the street if he doesn’t do the job; the worker starves to death.
Our system is the antithesis of the capitalist system. In our system, of course, the discipline of the whip does not exist, but socialism requires a high and conscious discipline. Based on this principle, our people, Party bodies, economic and state organs must strive to find those other economic mechanisms that will be used to establish it. Order and discipline at work increase social productivity, which for our economy constitutes a colossal problem.
Lenin said that in the final analysis, social productivity is the measure of the superiority of one socio-economic order over another. We must not forget this. Proletarian discipline – a steel-like but conscious discipline – must characterize our people.
I am making a philosophical abstraction. The basis of ideas (and consciousness) is material development (social being). Ideas, as Marx said, become a material force when they seize the masses; they are strong and turn into reality when they have a material basis.
In socialism, not all people work in the productive sphere, but even intellectuals who do not work in that sphere give society just as much as those in the productive sphere. However, even the intellectual who is far from production reflects in his consciousness the material transformation of society; he has proletarian thoughts and consciousness.
If they thought that the working class and the working peasantry would not engage in proletarian work that would be absurd. So the issue is not to establish proletarian and conscious discipline only in principle, to remain merely an idea. It may apply to a minority, but not to the entire mass. We have not left proletarian conscious discipline on the basis of ideas alone; we have placed it on a material basis.
But, with these conditions we have created in our country, with these material possibilities at our disposal, with these mechanisms we have put into operation, are we truly creating that strong and iron discipline, that proletarian conscious discipline that we want? There are problems here, and we must by no means think that these things have been solved once and for all and that there is no room for improvement.
The question of reconciling the interests of the individual or the group with society, of the cooperative with the state, of the member with the cooperative, of the worker with the state – which coincide with a particular aspect of production relations – are very delicate, dialectically linked, and subject to change. With the development of society, people’s needs grow as a result of increased income, which also brings an increase in demands. If 10 years ago a television set was a luxury item, today it has become a necessity.
Or, whereas 10 years ago in the village both men and women dressed differently, now they want to dress like in the city. The new state of the strengthened economy places before our organisms the task of increasing production; otherwise, it cannot be managed. Therefore, the Party organs, the organs of power and of the economy, must keep these issues in mind, because if demands are not met, economic and political problems arise.
To come to the aid of agriculture, the 7th Plenum of the Central Committee of the Party decided that brigades that exceed production targets, after deducting accumulation, should receive supplemental compensation. This new form of remuneration will encourage farmers to work and increase production. Why should such a form of remuneration not be introduced also in the extractive industry to encourage miners in chromium – a sector where we have a vested interest?
Naturally, the new form of remuneration cannot be extended to all sectors of our economy; it should be viewed by category, but it could be used in the construction and assembly of large industrial works. Brigades working on the construction of the ferrochrome plant could be assigned deadlines for completing their tasks and, upon fulfillment, receive compensation. The new form of remuneration increases economic effectiveness but also encourages the worker to work.
This form of remuneration existed before but was abolished. It is legal. In the overall labor system, many processes and working methods have changed, have been replaced with more advanced ones, many experiments have been conducted, and such will continue to be done in the future. However, all of these must be well studied and must provide the proper argumentation and answers.
COMRADE BESNIK BEKTESHI: Based on the decision to create export-import bodies within a ministry, we are now working to establish such a body in our own ministry as well; we have even drafted a regulation. This body will enter into agreements with foreign firms for the export and import of goods and equipment needed by the system covered by this ministry, without interfering in the agreements or negotiations that the Ministry of Foreign Trade has concluded or will conclude within the framework of the entire national economy.
A series of goods that foreign trade could not sell in foreign markets are now being handled by this body, which will begin its activity to find sales markets. The comrades dealing with these issues are optimistic and confident that the assigned tasks will be fulfilled. This year, as you yourself, Comrade Ramiz, advised, we cannot expect any major activity in this direction, but there will be improvement.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: The branches, enterprises, or offices set up within ministries to deal with export-import issues must strive to find markets close to our country. Distant markets and large firms do not yield effectiveness. How are things going in the oil sector?
COMRADE BESNIK BEKTESHI: Drilling to find new oil and gas deposits is underway. In Delvina, at a depth of 40–47 meters, the drill has reached the limestone layer. The drilling is proceeding normally. In Panaja, the drilling has reached a depth of 2,000 meters. The drilling has been shifted about 200 meters to a new wellbore. During drilling at a depth of 100 meters, they encountered an old pipe, and they have now begun to move away.
Specialists have made some new neutron measurements and have picked up sounds indicating the presence of metal – i.e., the old pipe. They have moved away from it and drilling continues in a new wellbore. During this time, no phenomenon has occurred at the wellhead. In terms of exploration and prospecting, the indicators are good.
In these areas I mentioned, gasification is now beginning. In recent days, during the drilling of one well, there was gas, as well as in two wells in the Divjaka area. These wells are from the Pliocene, i.e., of a nature at 8,000, 10,000, 12,000 meters depth. The gas supply, both for the urea plant and for other industrial consumers that use it, has been regular.
The Zvërnec well was closed. Now they are conducting some seismic profiles, as they believe that at another well at about 2,000–2,200 meters depth, the uplift begins; it is shifted and separated from Sazan. These are explorations for oil, where we usually reach targets at 3,200 meters depth, mainly in Sheqishte and Marinza.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: How is work progressing in chromium?
COMRADE BESNIK BEKTESHI: At the beginning of the month, Comrade Ramiz, although efforts have been made on our part, a decline is observed. This decline comes as a result of workers leaving for their families. They take their wages home as well. After these days, work begins with intensity, both in mining operations and in extraction. This is a problem we have raised repeatedly, but we have still not found a solution.
In the mines, we have made buses available to the miners, but not in all of them. There are about 100 such buses. However, the demands for transport means are great, and for this reason we have also recommended a plan to the Ministry of Foreign Trade. The stock of high-grade chromium is about 40,000 tons. Chromium of other qualities is in surplus. We cannot fulfill the contract concluded with several countries for high-grade chromium and for concentrate.
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA: The situation of high-grade chromium and concentrate should be monitored and coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Trade to make changes in planning for the next year.
COMRADE BESNIK BEKTESHI: We will examine these concretely on the basis of the working faces, but precisely there in the face is the high-grade mineral. The efforts of the mine managers and especially of the miners are enormous, but the difficulty in reaching such layers leads to the non-fulfillment of the plan. In the new chromium mines, road works, mining operations, and exploitation have partially begun.
The miners have extracted some mineral, but it cannot be transported due to the lack of roads. The work for opening the roads has begun. For this purpose, following the orders you gave at a Secretariat meeting regarding some campaigns to assist the economy, we have sent several brigades to intensify the work, especially with the organization of campaigns, which have been taken on by the districts themselves.
After this Secretariat meeting, we have laid out about 11 million in investments for these campaigns. But we think that everything has its time, as we also encounter difficulties. In the chromium sector, a “commitment” has been made to extract 15,000 tons of chromium through campaigns during the months of June, August, and September, by increasing efforts and assisting this sector with transport means.
We have also set the task of reducing the impoverishment coefficient to a maximum – that is, not to extract rock to increase ferrochrome. Work is being done in this direction. At the metallurgical combine, work is proceeding well in increasing the level of concentrate and basic carbonate. The level has fallen in value, but now, by increasing efforts, it will reach 13,000–14,000 dollars per ton. / Memorie.al
To be continued in the next issue
