Sir

Albania's first democratic government effectively chose to ignore the Albanian Academy of Sciences, but the Socialist party, which took office last year, has been looking at it more critically.

The government appointed a new temporary academy presidium, comprising a president, two vice-presidents and a general secretary, who were given the task of drafting statutes and of organizing elections for a regular presidium. But the members of this temporary presidium worked for the administration of the Hoxha era, and appear to be working undemocratically.

The government said that the new staff of the presidium, together with new directors of the 12 research institutions under the academy's umbrella, should initiate reforms as soon as possible. The most important issues were the means of selecting institute directors and the presidium and of bringing new members into the ageing body of academicians.

The temporary presidium, however, altered the proposed statutes agreed after discussion with scientists at the institutes. The final version, about to be submitted for approval to the president of Albania, says that institute directors should be appointed by the presidium from a list of nominations from the scientific council of each institute. The presidium itself should be elected by an assembly composed of the directors whom the presidium itself appoints, and academicians. It is feared that the presidium will propose to the assembly a two-year postponement of even this procedure.

The slow reorganization process is detrimental for research. Older academy members, some of whom received their scientific titles and degrees by decree in Hoxha's totalitarian regime, cling to their positions and cannot grasp the new paths that science should follow in a democracy.

Researchers will for a long time face not only financial difficulties but also chaotic “reorganizations” by backward minds.