Adem Demaci - the "armed prophet" of the Albanian national movement in Kosovo (11)

Writing for Kosovo Online: Dragan Bisenic, a journalist

The arrogance of "fatalistic optimism" of the inevitable Kosovo’s statehood

However, after all he had experienced, Demaci was completely convinced that the time to achieve his goals was very close and inevitable. He based this "fatalistic optimism" primarily on the absolute demographic superiority of the Albanians in Kosovo, which, together with the political and military involvement of foreign actors, he saw as unchanging determinants of Kosovo's inevitable independence and statehood. This gradually took on an arrogant and triumphalist attitude. As long as this was the case, there was no obstacle for the Albanians from Kosovo and Albania to look down on Serbia. Demaci was more delicate in this regard. He emphasized the superiority of Kosovo but also gave Serbia a chance. He based this superiority on a quasi-ethnogenesis that ascribed Illyrian and indigenous origins to the Albanians, unlike the Slavs who migrated to the Balkans. "It's hard to find something that connects us because we have experienced only evil from Serbian regimes ever since the Serbs began to come here", Demaci argued.

After the meeting between Hashim Thaci and Ivica Dacic in 2012, he saw it as a "turning point" and a "first step", stating that "it is time to put an end to this bloody history of ours". In doing so, he completely denied the rights of those who say they will never recognize Kosovo. "They give themselves the right to say that and speak on behalf of future governments and future generations. Not recognizing Kosovo means not recognizing reality, closing our eyes to the entire situation. However, Kosovo and Serbia are two countries with the same interest in going to Europe. We will not be able to forget everything that happened, but we need to understand that we are neighbors, and you can't choose your neighbors. We are here. You came here. It is known when you came, but you have settled well. We can no longer discuss whether you want to be our neighbors or not. You can no longer decide for us. It's time to open the neighborly process because any delay is a loss for both us and you", Demaci stated. "It would not be good if history were to repeat itself, with the Serbs prevailing in the belief that the Albanians should not be accepted, that Kosovo should not be recognized, that it should be obstructed in every way", Demaci emphasized.

Demaci remained opposed to the solution from the Ahtisaari Plan and was a proponent of reciprocity. He argued, "Where have you seen that the language of a minority, which makes up 7-8 percent of the total population, is equal to the language of the majority nation across the entire territory of the state? In our Constitution, we have a provision that if 10 Serbian parliamentarians out of the 15 guaranteed seats for the Serbs in parliament reject a law, that law cannot be passed. Where does that happen? And look at what is happening to our compatriots in Serbia - in Presevo, Bujanovac, and Medvedja. They are oppressed and deprived of their rights. When we ask for the same rights that we have granted to the Serbs in Kosovo, the Serbian Government responds, 'That's our business'”, Demaci explained. Furthermore, he demanded that "our Government should not accept any agreement on the rights of the Serbs in Kosovo if the same rights are not granted to the Albanians under Serbian administration", specifying that "this should be the alpha and omega of all negotiations". It is clear that he did not consider such legislation to be a significant value that should be respected. He believed that Serbia should not have a European perspective unless it recognizes Kosovo. In this sense, Demaci's legacy endures in the European approach that is based on this. "I say to Europe, 'What do you need Serbia for, which does not want peace, does not want understanding, does not want cooperation with Kosovo, and does not recognize Kosovo?' But they persist and force us into some negotiations. So it is possible to reach an agreement that will not be fair, and without a fair agreement, there is no possibility of living in good neighborly relations, slowly forgetting the bad times, and beginning to build Europe, which will be our homeland, where everyone will be the master of their land", Adem Demaci explained.

In 2014, he welcomed and highly praised the visit of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to Belgrade during the famous Serbia-Albania football match. He stated that "Rama is a serious statesman" who demonstrated this by agreeing to visit Serbia. "This is the only way to show Europe that Serbia was a Chetnik state. That's why it's good to go to Serbia and speak the truth", Demaci emphasized.

The following year, on the occasion of the 7th anniversary of Kosovo's self-proclaimed independence, Demaci stated that it was not the Kosovo he had envisioned and fought for because there were still too many internal problems that were neglected and left unresolved.

Demaci passed away on July 26, 2018. Albanian President Ilir Meta announced that he "deeply mourns the loss of a symbol of national resistance, the struggle for freedom, and one of the most esteemed personalities on the world stage", who decisively contributed to elevating the great goal of the Kosovo war to an international issue. Meta stated that "patriot Adem Demaci remains an inspiration for all generations of Albanians, an example and a national role model inscribed in the history of Albanians and the national struggle for the independence of Kosovo".

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama noted that with his death, "an exceptional story of a rebel of the rarest kind ends; an Albanian of the finest type, a man of the most exceptional kind, a friend of the highest quality. After a life like endless storms, he slowly dissolved and vanished like a God who had said everything 'RESPECT'", Rama wrote.

On the occasion of the second anniversary of his death, Albin Kurti referred to Adem Demaci as one of the most inspiring individuals who influenced his own formation as well as the entire Self-Determination Movement.

"Adem Demaci experienced three kinds of Yugoslavia and went to prison three times. As a political prisoner, he spent a total of 28 years behind bars. When he was released in April 1990, he said he was leaving a small prison for a big prison of continuous political activities. Kurti said that even after the war, Adem Demaci had continued to be a significant reference and a mind from which everyone had expected an opinion.

"Adem Demaci continued to be a significant reference and a mind from which everyone expected an opinion even after the war. Whenever our society and state were at a crossroads, we turned to him to ask what he thought about this or that. But since July 26, 2018, we no longer have this leader. However, every time we want to take a step forward in our goals, we Albanians should always question and ask each other what Adem Demaci would think about this. To get an answer, we must return to his written works", Kurti said.

Rexhep Qosja summarized Demaci's importance in the Albanian historical perspective. "Such, determined, steadfast in his research outside and inside prison, steadfast in his life and intellectual philosophy, steadfast in his literary and journalistic work, persistent in his demands towards himself and others, a humanist towards his people and others, grateful, respected and respected in relation to his opponents, Adem Demaci built his political, national and literary portrait, without borders and without sharp turns".

Qosja had already given Demaci an exceptional place even before he was released in 1990. “Adem Demaci is the most deserving, most important political, national, and ethical figure to become the leader of our movement for the freedom and independence of Kosovo and, in fact, for the unification of the Albanians. Prisons made his name historically significant, and his ideas, judgments, and mental energies will be in line with this importance, and it will be visible once he is released and begins to appear in public“, Qosja explained.

When a ceremony was held this year to name a street Adem Demaci instead of the Second Macedonian Assault Brigade in the Skopje neighborhood of Chair, which immediately turned into a major controversy and the act was nullified, Albin Kurti reiterated, "Whenever we are at a crossroads, let's ask ourselves - what would Adem Demaci say". Based on all of this, it seems that this answer is by no means unpredictable.

(End)