Albania on true socialist path?

Press, 3 September 1982, Page 14

Albania on true socialist path?

By

DES CASEY

Tucket} into the mountain ranges of Yugoslavia and Greece, fronting out to the Adriatic Sea, lies a tiny nation one ninth the size of New Zealand. Its size though belies the immense energy it has poured into its determination to be independent.

Albania, with three million people, has carved its own economic and political path, treating with disdain one world power after another. Albania’s struggle has been hard and lonely. But, according to Mr Jack Locke of Christchurch who visited there a few months ago, it has succeeded in its uncompromising stand and. its particular push for self-realisa-tion.

Historically, Albania has seldom known freedom. Part of the Ilyrian Empire before the Romans conquered it in 167 8.C., it experienced a long list of invaders until the Ottoman Turks took over in the fifteenth century. They remained in power until independence finally came in 1912 — hut then for only two years. Freed again after the First World- War, Albania was overrun again, by Mussolini’s armies, before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Throughout the centuries Albania has had its borders chipped away so that today a million and a half Albanians live in Yugoslavia. But in a thorough and determined effort Albania set out in 1945 to own itself “and do things i'ts own way.”

According to Mr Locke, who attended the Eighth Congress of the Party of Labour of Albania as a delegate of the New Zealand Communist Party, Albania is "the only Jand in the world that is practising real socialism in all walks of life and has a working socialist economy.” 7 \ Basic to this success, Mr Locke says, are its economic policies based on "MarxistLeninist principles” and an “unwavering faith in the working class.”

"For example, all foreign trade exchange is based on self sufficiency , so that the dynamic of foreign trade only begins after the needs of the local population are sat-

isfied. There are never any overseas debts or credits.” Albania has plenty of trade outlets in more than 50 countries, but its Constitution forbids foreign bank loans or deals from East to West. This way a'balance between imports and exports is always maintained and the country remains ■ free of foreign debt. Incomes are comparatively lower in Albania than in New Zealand, though Mr Locke believes they are more than compensated for. Rents are never more than five per cent of wages — a far cry from the New Zealand situation. It is, Mr Locke says, a land of no unemployment, no inflation, and no poverty. Basic ,to his own understanding of socialism is the range of wage rates; that is, the distribution of the goods and resources of a country as expressed in weekly income. In Albania, the wage range is set by law at two to one. The highest paid administrators, scientists, professionals, cannot earti more than twice as

much as the lowest paid manual labourer. '

According to Mr Locke, this situation does not exist anywhere else in the world. “The Albanians are a living example of Lenin’s doctrine that socialism can be built even in a small country.” Perhaps because it has constantly struggled against much stronger opponents Albania is fiercely independent, seemingly fearless of world powers. Mr Locke sees the Nazi occupation of the early 1940 s as a last straw in a long line of invasions and the loss of autonomy. Albania was invaded by the Italians before war broke out, after the Italians had invaded Ethiopia and Hitler had marched on Austria.

An underground movement quickly grew with the formation of the Party of Labour in 1941. When Italy collapsed in 1943 the Nazis took their place in Albania, but the resistance movement was well organised and very effi-

cient. In November, 1944, the Nazis were driven across the borders. Mr Locke noticed the pride with which Albanians reminded him that they were the only people to expel Axis forces without outside help. Russia had its Lenin; China had its Mao Tse-Tung; Yugoslavia had its Tito. And Albania had — and still has — its Enver Hoxha, General Secretary of the Party of Labour. According to Mr Locke, he has been the main inspiration in keeping Albania on the "true road to socialism.” After the Second World War and the establishment of the Party of Labour as the governing body, Albania had Russia as a close ally and support. Stalin’s death changed that. Albania considered Russia to be on a path of revisionism — revising Marxism back to a system of social reforms rather than revolution. In what has become known as a famous confrontation, Hoxha denounced Krushchev publicly in Moscow as a “revisionist and a betrayer of socialism.” The split was total and Russia's withdrawal of economic assistance almost brought Albania to its knees. Then, in the 19705, Hoxha attacked again. This time it was China that had chosen revisionist methods, and in 1978 all ties between the two countries were severed. “Both countries,” Mr ( Locke says, “have gone back to a form of capitalism, namely social imperialism. And so we have invasions into Czechoslovakia and other European countries, and Chinese interference in Vietnam."’ Albania is a rugged and mountainous country. Only 23 per cent of the land is flat but the country is linked by good surfaced roads that are spectacular, reminding Mr Locke of the road to Skippers. “Wonders had been done on steep hillsides,” he says, "with terracing for citrus and ojive groves. Their slogan ‘make the mountains fertile’ has come true.”

The mountains are also an ideal environment for forestry. Hydro electric power production thrives on the fast flowing mountain rivers, and excess power is exported to Yugoslavia and Greece.

“Not bad,” Mr Locke says, “for a place that had no electric power before the revolution; nor do they sell it at cheap ‘Comalco’ prices!” The transition from private farms to co-operative was completed in 1960. One farm Mr Locke visited, which has 10,000' members combining several villages, had a wide range of crops and animal husbandry. The director of the farm was a woman, aged about 40. Mr Locke recognised this as proof that the fight by women for recognition and equality has been very much a part of the Albanian revolution.

“Women have had a hard battle to fight, old traditions, mostly Muslim in origin, that had kept them in a very backward and degraded position.”

On this farm 52 per cent of the work force and 42 per cent of the cadres were women. Their struggle is not yet complete but Mr Locke was impressed at the successful elimination of “old habits” in less than 40 years.

Everywhere he went Mr Locke experienced a lively culture — often going back many centuries — of singing, dancing, art, ballet, and sport. One quarter of the population participates in some form of sport, the country boasting 21 stadiums, 81 sports centres, and 270 gymnasiums. ' Education is a high priority, According to Mr Locke illiteracy abounded 40 years ago but now one out of three Albanians is at school. One feature that impressed him was that all High School students had to have a year in a job (factory or farm) before going on to university. Mr Locke enjoyed the hospitality of the people “on fine evenings strolling the streets and parks in large numbers." He denies that they are dour people, but admits that that may be the impression some tourists get. This is because tourism is an industry that

basically takes rather than gives, Mr Locke says. “But if you go there to share something, you will find real friends,” he adds. He knows of two farmers who have visited Albania and offered farming advice, and a regular correspondence and friendship has been established. Mr Locke's last memories of Albania were being presented with gifts of flowers from young children. He returns to New Zealand convinced that Albania is “a young land, a land of youth, and a land of the future."