This article has been written for Albanian Free Press newspaper and www.afp.al
Heat may make you feel a little dizzy or even worse if you don’t do something about it, if you don’t seek shelter in the shade or freshen up somewhere! But high seasonal temperatures are the least of the problems that Albanians have in preserving their sanity. For almost a year now, the political ‘temperature’ in the country has been so high and annoying that seasons looked as mere décor, while the alerts given by environmentalists for global heating as something trivial. In all of these months filled with interesting events; elections, with winners who are in power and “moral” winners, sides that refuse to recognize the election result, sides that recognize them but boycott parliament, sides that take their oath in Parliament and then start a hunger strike. Albanians are tired of these endless conflicts, where the sides are fighting a real battle for a few ballot boxes which they have historically filled and counted themselves.
As a result of this tension, where the sides refuse each other, people have become deaf from the two bells that chime in stark contrast to each other. They listen to the opposition that claims that there is political crisis, while the majority is denying it. They listen to the claim that there is economic crisis and on the other hand, they list to the government’s optimism that “there is economic growth, because we’re raising salaries and pensions”. All of these claims seem to have overwhelmed public opinion. To give an answer to this absurd situation where two different realities live side by side, we can say that today we have a political crisis, but also economic growth. This is also the “conclusion” of the EU institutions. Thus, Brussels and Strasbourg say that there is political crisis and that the sides must find a way out, while the EU also praises the country for the economic progress that it has made. If we analyze these stances separately, it looks as if we’re dealing with two different countries. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that a common Albanian, bewildered by these acrobatics, has no other solution but choose one of these virtual worlds: between Berisha’s and Rama’s, despite the fact that in his real world, in his day to day things, it doesn’t make any difference if he supports one or the other.
What Albanian politics is doing to the interests of the citizens of this country is very much similar to what used to happen a little while ago in front of the Faculty of Law, where middlemen offered law degrees in exchange of 7 thousand euros, at a place where lawyers and prosecutors that must fight corruption are made. The problem with middlemen was dealt with, but are we sure that these middlemen have not gone to parliament to make justice and transparency in the name of the Vetting process?
In the past two years, Brussels has been closely monitoring the issue of reforms, especially the judicial reform, but it’s still hard for the EU institutions to get used to the Balkan like intrigues and understand if this political class is serious when it says that it aims to become part of Europe. Perhaps, Brussels has fallen into this web of small interests belonging to these pompous players of this very small country such as Albania. So far, all that has been requested is a magic formula painted with a ‘color’ of democracy, to join the majority and Albanian opposition in order to talk about the common interest of the citizens of this country: EU integration path. But, the main political forces in the country are simply demanding exclusive declarations in their support and for this, they are ready to pay (with our money), but the end result will only be the creation of negative publicity for Albania, with our own money. This way, not only they are unable to reach political consensus to give way to EU integration, but the crisis will deepen. And along with it, Europe will be very far.
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Note: The stances expressed in the Opinion section do not necessarily represent the editorial line of Albanian Free Press
