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“Life in Kosovo” Debates Enver Hoxha Legacy

23 10 2008  This week’s Life in Kosovo panel debated Enver Hoxha and his role on Kosovo.

Who is supportive and who is critical of Enver Hoxha in Kosovo?
Were Hoxha’s victims inside and outside the country hurt by the symposium
held in Pristina honouring Hoxha? How do Albanians choose their national heroes?

To discuss this controversial issue, Muhamet Hajrullahu’s guests were:

Halil Matoshi-analyst and editor at the daily newspaper Express;
Armand Shkullaku-analyst from Tirana and director of TV Klan – Kosovo;
Ibush Bytyci and Sadije Bytyci- activists on national issues;
Metush Zenuni- historian.

A report on culture, prepared by Arif Muharremi, covering Turkish film week
in Pristina was shown before the debate.

The debate started with a report prepared by public television, RTK, showing
images of the ceremony marking the 100^th birthday of Enver Hoxha, which was
held in Pristina.

Participants in the ceremony glorified and praised the role of Hoxha towards
Kosovo.

The discourse then started with a question for Ms. Bytyci as she was visibly
excited during the ceremony in Pristina.

She said that her emotions were unavoidable as she has always praised the
former Albanian president.

“I adore Enver Hoxha. He was just and accurate. He took care of his country
like a bird”, said Bytyci.

She explained that during Hoxha’s time, there was security, order and rule of
aw in Albania, in contrast to the subsequent democratic regimes which, according
to her, ruined Albania.

Asked why Kosovo Albanians celebrated the birthday of a leader considered a
dictator in his own country, Mr. Bytyci argued that Enver Hoxha was a personality
brought to power at the proper moment.

“Enver Hoxha educated us and taught us how to liberate our land-banks. Albania’s
diplomatic corps and Communist Party taught all of us living in the West how to fight
for our national interests,” said Mr. Bytyci, a former member of Albania’s Communist
Labour Party.

According to Bytyci, they have the absolute right to call Hoxha an idol as he protected
what he terms our national interests.

“Albania’s Communist Party protected us from the former Yugoslav secret services,
which were even active in France,” reported Bytyci.

Armand Shkullaku intervened in the debate, asking Mr. Bytyci why other Kosovars
living in France were not members of the Communist Party.

In respect to this Bytyci argued that not all Kosovars were familiar with the
details of national issues, and that the Yugoslav secret services impeded their
participation.

“At the beginning of the 1980s we opened an Albanian political club in Paris called
‘Avni Rrustemi,’ said Bytyci.

Asked what Albanian diplomacy with Kosovar immigrants in Europe did to promote
the Kosovo issue and other national concerns concretely, Bytyci said that they
organized demonstrations in France’s capital with the Albanian diaspora living there.

“Fear of the Yugoslav secret services and love for the motherland brought us
together to love the Albanian president,” said Bytyci.

Asked what reaction the ceremony in Pristina provoked in Tirana, Shkullaku
reported that there have been dual perceptions of this event.

“Most of the public opinion in Albania saw this as ridiculous, while others saw
it as hurtful,” said Shkullaku.

According to Shkullaku, this reminded him of the period 20 years ago when
Albanians were glorifying their leader.

He added that it was ridiculous to have Hoxha’s son reading a letter from
Enver’s wife in which she calls Kosovo “Kosmet” and having the Albanian
foreign minister calling Kosovars “our brothers” when, during communism,
Kosovars were labelled as “friends” and Chinese were termed as “brothers.”

“Half of the families in Albania were hurt by of this event as they suffered under
the Communist regime in deportation camps, jails and other forms of persecution,”
added Shkullaku.

Shkullaku pointed out that he understands why many Kosovars were hurt when
Goran Bregovic was proclaimed an Honorary Citizen of Tirana, despite
Albanians’ nostalgia for Serbian music from the time when it was the only way
to access the outer world, due to the strict isolation they were living in.

Arguing in Hoxha’s defence, Ms. Bytyci alleged that during the Hoxha regime
there were no destructive practices in Albania such as theft, prostitution or cheating.

“Enver Hoxha didn’t want to construct high buildings and apartments like
Albania’s current Prime Minister. Rather, he chose to create an economy for
the country,” said Ms. Bytyci.

Halil Matoshi brought citations from various international organizations chronicling
violations of human rights during the Communist regime in Albania.

“5,577 men and 450 women were executed. 26,760 men and 7,867 women
were jailed. 1,065 persons died in the jails of communism. 408 persons lost
their minds,” reported Matoshi.

He claimed to be very “cool” towards Kosovars’ emotions on communism
or racism. According to him, he is more interested in paradigms rather than in
specific persons or ideological propaganda.

“What Hitler did with Auschwitz and Stalin did with the gulags, Hoxha did with
deportation camps in Albania,” added Matoshi.

On the other hand, Zenuni, another fan of Enver Hoxha who was only 15
when the former Albanian President died, pointed out that he had a lot of
emotions at the ceremony.

“As with other Kosovars victimized by Serbian authorities, Enver Hoxha became
our idol and the symbol of our national interest,” revealed Zenuni.

According to him, it was the reaction to the ceremony that was dictatorial as
Kosovar media, especially Express and Koha Ditore, reacted very harshly.

“The attitude of Baton Haxhiu, Shkelzen Maliqi and Halil Matoshi in this newspaper
is highly influenced by the Yugoslav Communist mindset. These people oppose
every single idea which is not similar to theirs,” said Zenuni.

Responding to this, Matoshi asked whether he ever wrote something praising
the Yugoslav regime or praising Communism.

Asked why he loves Enver Hoxha, Zenuni said that he comes from a family
persecuted by the Yugoslav regime and that for him Enver Hoxha was a rescuer.

“I became a member of an illegal organisation opposing the Yugoslav regime and,
until the end of the war in Kosovo, I continued to work for Kosovo’s national
interests and for the reunification of Kosovo with Albania,” said Zenuni.

According to Zenuni, “Enver Hoxha was the ideal personification of Albania for
Kosovo Albanians. Kosovo Albanians had two choices, either to be with Enver
Hoxha and Tirana or to be with Tito and Yugoslavia. I am very proud that I was
with Enver and Albania.”

On the other hand, Shkullaku pointed to naiveté to explain the choice many
Kosovars made in choosing to love Enver Hoxha. According to him, communist
propaganda brainwashed 3 million Albanians and it easily manipulated Kosovars
living under occupation.

However, he pointed out that the problem is not whom you loved and whom you
idealized; the problem is today. Who are you with today?

“One explanation is probably the lack of identity in an open democratic society,
or simple naiveté,” said Shkullaku.

Responding to questions as to whether Enver Hoxha actually did something in
Kosovo’s national interests, Shkullaku said that they should examine history
and see Hoxha’s plans to make Albania the seventh republic of Yugoslavia,
despite the fact that the attempt failed for various reasons.

“In May 1970, during his visit to Tropoja, Hoxha declared that if Yugoslavia
was attacked by other countries, Albania would be there to protect the Yugoslav
people,” said Shkullaku, referring to Hoxha’s attempt to normalize relations
with Yugoslavia at a time when he was without allies.

According to Shkullaku, Hoxha made use of Kosovo whenever he wanted to
improve his political position. “The latest statistics reveal that 99 per cent of
Albanians believe Hoxha was a criminal who deserved to be punished, while
1 per cent believes that Hoxha was a just leader.”

Talking about Albania’s experience during communism, Shkullaku declared that
the question of whether communism was good or bad for Albanian society was
answered when, after the fall of the regime, thousands of Albanians took to ships
and boats to leave the country as they didn’t have the wherewithal to feed their
children.

“People who believed in that system for 50 years now find it difficult to accept
that they made a mistake and that the system was a phantom,” stated Shkullaku.

Arguing with Shkullaku about whether the ceremony for Hoxha’s birthday in
Pristina shook Albanian public opinion, Zenuni pointed out that Kosovo’s public
opinion was equally affected when Sali Berisha, the President of the Republic
of Albania, supplied Serbia with petroleum in spite of the embargo imposed by
the international community.

On the other hand, Zenuni opposed Shkullaku’s allegations, telling him that Hoxha
was always committed to the national interest and opposed to Kosovo’s partition.

“Enver Hoxha spoke against the torture by Yugoslav Titoists of Kosovar workers
and students, most of whom were Albanians. Enver Hoxha told Tito, “don’t play
with fire as you will burn yourself.”

Responding to Zenuni, Shkullaku said that Hoxha’s official declaration on the
1981student demonstrations in Kosovo was that they were organised by Yugoslav
agents rather than Kosovar students.

Asking what position Kosovo should take in the future on the image and the role
of Enver Hoxha, Matoshi declared that Albanian society in Albania and Kosovo
needs a clear vision to follow now that they are both open societies that have
embraced democratic values.

“This society needs a law condemning communist crimes wherever they occurred.
Our society should learn that Enver Hoxha, feeling inferior to his Yugoslav
counterparts, never mentioned Kosovo as an issue for debate until the Conference
of Bujan,” said Matoshi.

According to Matoshi, NATO and EU membership on the one hand, and
Communism on the other do not mix well together, as they are ideological enemies.

Highlight of the Week

9 teachers of preliminary education in Drenas graduated from the Primuth Institute
in Germany and a research institution in Switzerland. Financed by Caritas Luxembourg
and Swiss Caritas and promoted by the Ministry of Education, the project aims to
help teachers prepare children for school.

Shyhrete Hysenaj, a teacher in “Dielli ne Drenas” kindergarten, said that funds
are so scarce that most of the toys in her class are constructed by the teachers
themselves.
“We are trying to prepare these kids for school by socializing them with each
other,” said Hysenaj.

The organisers were delighted with the commitment by Kosovo’s Ministry of
Education to promote the initiative.

After the broadcast of the feature entitled “Kosovo’s son-in-law,” the municipal
debate “Life in Deçan” moderated by Jeta Xharra was broadcast.

Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television,
RTK and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is
broadcast every Thursday, starting at 20:20.