In light of today’s political developments, the words of Abdi Baleta – one of the strongest and earliest voices critical of the Democratic Party’s ways – still ring fresh. In an interview given to “Gazeta Shqiptare” on July 20, 2010, Baleta recounted the reasons for his departure from the DP parliamentary group and the clashes with the leadership that, according to him, had deviated from the very beginnings of democracy.
At the end of 1990, Baleta was a member of the Human Rights Forum, and in 1991 he was elected MP in the Berat district on the Democratic Party lists — without ever being a member of it. He explained that the radicalism of his positions had come as a reaction to the concessions that, according to him, were being made to Greece and the lack of will to defend the national interest.
"There were several reasons, but I am mentioning some of them: the national issue. At that time, many concessions were being made to Greece by the Albanian government; the treatment of the Greek minority, the issue of the Orthodox Church and the appointment of Yanullatos as archbishop. We had asked the government to recognize the Republic of Kosovo since 1991, this recognition should have been made by the government and not by the parliament, which it did not do.
We fought to exclude 'OMONIA' as a political entity… as well as the Cham issue. For this issue, we have demanded the return of the Chams to their lands, just as the Kosovars returned. As for the other issues: it was the land law, 7501, the sale and purchase of land.”
Baleta recalled that he first openly spoke out against the DP on July 19, 1991, after returning from the USA:
"I had read the land law, which said that land should be divided per capita. I opposed it, saying that the land should be returned to the owners. I said at the National Council of the Democratic Party that you are engaging the people in fratricide and playing the Greek game. And no one supported me for this, they only attacked me."
Against the stability government
"Not only was I against it, but I also worked for its overthrow. The reason was simple: with this government, pluralism would disappear and Ramiz Alia, who was still President in 1991, would continue to be active."
One of the most tense moments for Baleta was the debate on the law "On Human Rights" in 1993, for which DP deputies demanded his criminal prosecution for "national treason".
“In April 1993, when the human rights law was being passed, the Greek MP Makariadhi proposed an amendment that gave Albanians the right to declare their nationality. I stood up and said: 'This is the destruction of the nation!'. Nationality is determined by God, not the law. Citizenship is determined by the law. There were three of us against: me, Uran Butka and Shefqet Hoxha. The amendment did not pass by two votes.”
Baleta recalled that after that episode, the relationship between him and the DP finally ended.
"I have supported Berisha on many occasions, but I have also opposed him more than anyone else. Until 1993, he himself loved radicalism, but then he backed down and decided to leave us."
In today's light, when the DP faces internal debates over identity, national positions, and old and new divisions, Abdi Baleta's words seem like a return to the origins of a party that has not yet settled accounts with its past.
