Parliament debates on communism crimes

TIRANA, Oct. 9 – The parliament was involved Monday evening in a long debate between the two main groupings _ majority Democratic party and their allies and opposition Socialists and their allies. There were two topics to discuss between them.
First the opposition asked the prime minister to make public how much money they had paid to BG & R U.S. company that helped them during the electoral campaign last year. They said the figure should be higher than $182,000 and accused them of contracting a company that now lobbies in favor of Belgrade against Kosova independence. The majority turned down their request to create a parliamentary investigative commission but of course accusations from both parties continued.
What attracted more the attention of the parliamentarians, but also Albanians, was the discussion of the crimes of communism. The Democrats had prepared a draft resolution that denounced the communist crimes and wanted former totalitarian regime be denounced. Though it seemed that both groupings were denouncing communism and late dictator Enver Hoxha, the debate was very harsh. Berisha turned to them saying the Socialist Party was the only one in former eastern European countries that had not disbanded but was a successor of the previous communist party. He started to call names on their leaders. Socialists responded saying that Berisha has been one of the most devoted communist during the former regime. And the debate got harsher following rumors that many parliamentarians and also other top officials were former members of the secret police Sigurimi. Berisha mentioned some nicknames used allegedly for some of the Socialist parliamentarians, who also responded with the same language.
The Socialists counterattacked saying they were preparing a draft law to be passed by the parliament according to which all former files of secret police Sigurimi would be made public, especially for those public personalities, top officials and politicians. Yes, responded Berisha. He would open all the files. But a day later Skender Gjinushi of the Social Democrats, in opposition, said that Berisha and his government had extinguished many files belonging to his militants and there had remained only big lists which were hard to verify if were true. Petro Koci of the Socialists also said that former Sigurimi officials had normally supported their party while those secret, or illegal spies had gone to the Democrats’ side.
The draft resolution may be discussed in the coming days after some amendments. But as Spartak Ngjela, a former political dissident , said during the debate politics was playing games but not really doing what it says: opening files and also compensating former political persecuted.
A group of the political persecuted also held a protest before the parliamentary session complaining that all governments in post-communist Albania had only propagated the fight against former communist regime, but done nothing to compensate them who had suffered for almost half a century under Enver Hoxha. They have been asking a day work-counted cost for each of them but the governments have played with the list of the political persecuted.
Berisha said, however, during the debate at the parliament that his government would start compensation of the former political persecuted starting from next year.
Some former political prisoners said, however, they did not trust the government promises and the debate to be a real one. Fatos Lubonja said that was more a political rhetoric.