Koha Digest # 146

Date: 23 April 1997

The weekly Koha (The Times) was published in Prishtina (Kosovo) between 1994 and 1997. Edited by Veton
Surroi, a young Kosovar journalist and one of the pioneers of democratisation in former Yugoslavia, Koha
soon became a symbol of quality among the region's media. In 1997 it started to be published daily under the
name of Koha Ditorë. W ith the kind permission of Mr. Surroi, Koha digests were originally posted on
http://koha.estudiosbalcanicos.org.
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beginning". This implies that "Americans didn't change their
viewpoint", but the problem in fact relies on the
mystification of the American support for Kosova. Analysts say
that Cornbloom's statement should be understood as a part of
an answer which had to be told to political forces in Kosova
which have "produced" the fallacious impression of the
American policy. An impression according to which we had full
support for all our political goals. By coincidence or not,
the things said by Cornbloom in Prishtinë were repeated to the
representatives of the Albanian political parties from Kosova
in Washington. But, as one of them was quoted saying,
"Americans revealed their stand more clearly...something that
we knew since some time now..."

And all of this should lead us towards another conclusion,

indicates Bajram Kosumi. "We Albanians haven't succeeded so
far to convince the international community about our
political demands. These demands have ever since been lacking
political grounds, despite their justness. But justness alone
is not politics. The stand of USA and EU, is the last signal
for the Albanian politics to reconsider it's political methods
of action and undertaking of radical changes." This statement
can be perceived in the function of one natural political
pressure which in the moment is directed by two key centers to
the solution of the Kosova question, Belgrade and Prishtinë.

It looks like Cornbloom offered an alibi to the Serbian

opposition, harshly criticized by the ruling structures before
and after the New York meeting. Actually, Americans have
positioned themselves in favor of the opposition coalition
"Zajedno", which, according to one of the participants in the
New York meeting, became obvious during the conference in
which "Zajedno" had a kind of "coordination" with the
organizers. But, it also looks like the sign was given to the
ruling coalition "that the race on who is going to have a more
favorable position about Kosova, has started". In the days to
come, it is to be expected that the Albanian political factors
will be forced to start a "new political offensive", that
would improve the actual political position of Kosova, but
also that of it's political subjects. In this plane, it comes
out that the recent consultations of Rugova with LDK's
parliamentarian group were in the function of repeating the
"general people's determination for the solution of Kosova's
problem".

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KOSOVA

A FRIEND IS A FRIEND - BUT YOGURT IS FOR MONEY

by ARBËR VLLAHIU / Prishtinë

It seems that the second mandate of the MPs of the still non-
constituted Parliament, is under question now, because it is
not known who could prolong it. And, if 25 May awakens without
a constituted parliament and without new elections in Kosova,
then, it is said in some circles, institutional anarchy will
replace all institutions, including the presidency. In the
meantime, the meetings between Ibrahim Rugova with MPs of the
non-constituted parliament of Kosova, the LDK representatives
(with the promise that he would also meet the parliamentarian
groups of other parties), seem not to have made any changes.

"We can't say that we have a final decision on the exact date,
the agenda or the possible decisions that might be made", says
Selatin Novosella, from the LDK parliamentarian group.
"The most often request repeated in consultations was that for
the constitution of the parliament", says Mehmet Hajrizi, who
adds, "the MPs used this consultation to show an unanimous
stand in favor of the constitution of the parliament before
the end of the mandate. It is not only our right but also our
moral, political and patriotic obligation to materialise the
will of electorate. Our mouth is full with terms such as
state, independence and democracy but every single term
presupposes the Parliament as it's higher legislative and
representative organ. It is a demand of the time to make more
efforts to create independence of the Republic of Kosova as a
reality, instead of only talking about it", concludes Hajrizi.

According to sources close to the LDK, the number one of

Kosova's politics, Dr.Ibrahim Rugova, promised to take into
consideration all suggestions and then finally he will decide
on his own. But, his latest statement, that friends should be
consulted on whether to have new elections or not, had an
immediate answer of a "friend". John Cornbloom, US Assistant-
Secretary of State, who said that he was aware that Kosova
Albanians were planning new elections and pointed out that
"...finding a solution within Serbia and the belief that
independence of Kosova might worsen the situation, was the
continuous stand of the US Government".

And if Americans have tested the Albanian policy in previous

five years and if thus, they would accept the reality here, it
seems, some analysts say, that the non constitution of the
parliament has proven the lack of seriousness and incapability
of the Albanian politics.

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In this plane, PPK claims that "...Cornbloom's statement
concerning new elections in Kosova is related to his belief
about the solution of the Kosova problem". PPK has and has had
a negative standpoint about elections, because of a completely
different reason. "We cannot accept new elections because of
juridical, political and moral reasons. It is impossible to
have new elections because if the first 130 MPs couldn't
constitute the parliament, how can the other 130 do it? The
130 MPs were morally manipulated". PPK considers that "a way
out from the institutional crisis could be the constitution of
the old parliament, the election of the Parliament leadership,
the election of a vice-president of the republic and the
extension of the mandate of the MPs and the President. This is
the easiest way to overcome the crisis. Final is what we can
offer as a real political fact. A real political fact that we
are capable of creating will change the American posture as
well as those of the other centers".

In favor and against whatever has been said so far, Kosova

Albanians, anyways split politically, have expressed dilemma
on whether there should be new elections or the parliament
should be constituted first.

Selatin Novosella says: "Based on the Electoral Law and in the

Constitution of Kosova, I don't find any grounds for new
elections, because juridical deadlines have expired, and this
is the reason why we can not talk about them. Eventually, a
constitution of the bodies of the parliament could take place,
and consequently the MPs and President Rugova proper would
have their mandates verified. Only then could we discuss about
new elections".

The chairperson of the SDPK, Luljeta Pula-Beqiri, declared

that it is not good to have new elections after the electoral
farce of 1992. "If the parliament is not constituted urgently,
which in fact would save it's credibility and of those who
organized it, it is to be expected that the voters won't
participate in the elections. And, there is not much time
left. The concrete initiatives for constituting it were
unsuccessful, unfortunately, because even the people who were
declaratively in favor of it, hesitated in their work. We
never agreed with the justification coming from the leading
political center in Kosova, stating that the eventual
constitution of the parliament would provoke the situation.
This excuse can't stand..." said Pula-Beqiri at the end.

Pointing out that the institutional anarchy still exists,

Hajrullah Gorani, chairman of the UITUK, continued by saying
that "...we have a friend who is always with us - the people.
We should consult this friend all the time. How can we change

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one standpoint when the determination is - independent Kosova.
But, what have we done to keep our promise we made to the
people? We voted for kind of state that we want, we elected
the MPs without any propaganda, and now those who took the
responsibility of constituting the parliament, were unable to
do it for five years. Lawyers would say that the time is gone.
Let the parliament constitute first, let it make serious
decisions and then can we talk of new elections".

Certain political circles express their dilemmas on who is

going to proclaim the new elections, following "Uncle Sam's"
cold showers.

SDPK's other wing, differing from the first one, comes to a

thought that there is no need to constitute the parliament
only for the sake of proclaiming new elections. This stand is
shared by Tadej Rodiqi, chairman of the '92 Electoral
Commission. "Now, when there is only one month left till the
end of the extended mandate of the MPs, I think that
constituting the parliament just for calling or not calling
new elections is not needed. President Rugova, in accordance
with the other political factors, will probably soon decide
whether new elections will be held or not", says Rodiqi.
If we are to trust the "friend", the first one among those to
have been rewarded, then it is hard to expect new elections in
Kosova this late spring.

However, new elections or constituting the parliament are the

dilemmas which remain to be solved with the "verdict of the
people". If it is ready to speak out as a sovereign.

MACEDONIA

THE "PYRAMIDAL" SCHEME OF VALUES

by KIM MEHMETI / Shkup

The TAT Affair forced the Macedonian premier to admit in front

of the Parliament that there is organized crime in Macedonia
and that time has come to fight it. The struggle started with
a lot of euphoria, with the support and the hope that time had
come to reveal them all. This euphoria reminded many of the
times when Tito's letters would come asking for the
mobilization of the membership to "fight the enemy". This
meant that "the hunting" could start, but no one knew how deep
and how far it would go.. Even before the hunting started, a
part of the public opinion expressed its doubt on that the
"capital samples" would be caught. And, today there is plenty

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of proof to corroborate this doubt. It seems that following
the resignation of the Construction Minister, Sundovski,
because of member of his family was involved in the TAT
affair, the list will stop there. In fact, this is how
organized "hunting" goes: first, the target is identified,
then the "hunters" prepare the ammunition and then they divide
the sectors, so no one is taken by surprise. The atmosphere
created after the premier declared war to crime, made it
possible for the hunting to be organized on two levels: the
"unclear water" level and the programmed level. It was a
situation in which all would accuse all, and finally the
attention of the public would be centered on where the "fire"
is the smallest.

A part of the medical staff see the Minister of Health as a

huge burden that is evermore drowning them deeper and deeper.
And, as the hunting is still going on, the staff finally
appeared with arguments that made the minister go public again
and, instead of giving explanations, declare that whoever
criticizes him is a lost case. Meanwhile, his criticizers
publish series of documents that prove the way their minister
works. Names of siblings, relatives and friends are
mentioned - as people who have been appointed to important
posts in the health institutions proper. Thus, clearly
delineating the contours of the pyramid presided by the
minister, nick-named, Filipce. In the meantime affairs of
medicines whose term expired and whose packing has only been
changed, or the chronical lack of medicines in surgery rooms
of hospitals and the strange appearance and disappearance of
the health budget, etc. keep arising. And while medical
professionals practically beg the premier to save them from
the minister he appointed for them, the latter is flooded with
all types of affairs, that are so many that it is almost
impossible to remember.

The media published information on the different

misappropriation in the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA),
the Ministry of defense. There were publications on how the
confiscated amounts of drugs simply disappear once they reach
the police. All of these affairs just illustrate that
Macedonia has built a specific system of "pyramidal" values
(if they can be called values).

Everything is built on fragile grounds of personal and

familial interests and this is why many "pyramids"
disintegrate very rapidly. Thus, it is not incorrect to say
that Macedonia is threatened from the "pyramidal scheme of
values", rather than pyramidal saving systems, because this
situation makes the establishment and strengthening of the
institutions, impossible.

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Many things prove that in this "hunting season", many of these
pyramids will remain untouched. Such pyramids are very
dangerous for Macedonia because the threat is that they can
always be used for different political combinations, even in
the inter-ethnic sphere. The fact that the majority of the
"owners" of the pyramids are Macedonian could seriously
irritate the Macedonians, not excluding, of course, the
Albanians who are deeply into familial businesses, especially
some of the strong PPD people. It is also very hard to ignore
that some of the strong cadres in the PPD have put under their
control the media in Albanian, and thus set a series of
"standards" of evaluation of the channelized information. In
the name of the improvement of the national structure of the
employed in the state institutions (and this can't be denied,
has improved), many relatives and servile party members found
jobs. Thus, kinship and servilism have become the highest
values in a certain part of the society. This only
strengthened the decision-making and influence centers within
this party, that not even the absolute fairness and honesty of
Abdurrahman Aliti, can't cover. Because everyone knows that no
one can find a job, not even as a night-watch, if you are not
on the list of the "cadres" inside the PPD. Such a pyramidal
system of values was masterly created by Sali Berisha in
Albania - and see where he brought his people and country.
Such a reaction in Macedonia could cost us much too much.
The deficiencies of the construction of statal mechanisms
according to this principle will be best seen following the
next parliamentarian elections, when new "owners" are expected
to come. And, in order to come, they will have to ruin the old
ones.

The real author of all of them, though, will not be revealed

thus. The only ones to do it would be those who are not
related, i.e., the new government that could come and that has
no relation to the old one. Then, the people will have much
more to think about than the present affairs.

It would be naive to expect that the current government will

go until the end in their "efforts" to reveal the authors of
many affairs shaking Macedonia, because not very many will
remain clean. If nothing, then the majority will have to
answer the question: what have you done to prevent the
creation of these schemes, that respect only kinship,
friendship, obedience and party appertaining?

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