By Alfred Peza
Given that they are now used to the aggressive political class, Albanian people feel trapped after the sudden agreement reached by Rama and Basha. After the initial joy, they have started to get bored now, because they seem to have given up their preferred toy. They got rid of this toy and now they feel empty, because they have nothing to play with and their life is monotonous and boring. They have no one to debate with. The socialist doesn’t know what to tell to the democrat and the latter doesn’t know what to tell to his biggest political opponent. In the neighborhood, at work, café, home or street. The same thing is happening between socialists and those of the SMI. Or those of the SMI and democrats and vice versa. What has started to worry them the most is the fact that nobody can tell them when this deafening quietness will end and hope that those happy days of endless political brawls will return and they will once again live happily ever after in the normality of an endless “hostility”.
To make this situation, which is worthy of their absurd theater, even more hopeless, the chairman of the Democratic Party Parliamentary Group, Edi Paloka, said a terrible thing in the last Parliamentary session when the “Vetting” was voted along with the new ministers and this thing had never been heard in this place before: “As my colleague of the majority said…”.
We had imagined everything, but this one… No! Even the playwright of Tom and Jerry would never imagine this, let alone a good socialist, a good democrat or a good voter of Ilir Meta, of Shpetim Idrizi or some other. Bloody hell! “What is all this?”, they started whispering with themselves. Are we hearing things? Are we dreaming? Or was a piece of paper with some points and two signatures enough for the world to change in the blink of an eye?
And to make matters worse, media started to publish some extraordinary images of the parliament house, while Sali Berisha was speaking. All the MPs who were present there laughed and they all looked cheering. Those from the left wing and other parties too. Let alone those of the DP. If these images had appeared only during the time when Sali Berisha was replying to Blushi about the jealousy that had blinded him, for the new love that was born between DP and SP, this would be normal not only for militants, but also for other admirers or even rational people who have distanced themselves from the excessive political rallying. Reporters had started to issue videos, photos and news showing images before the start of the session and outside the house of parliaments. Images that were never seen before of how MPs met with each other, smiled, hugged each other and talked to each other. Each one of them, without exception.
On the other hand, after voting the government’s incentives, Berisha appeared on TV giving credit to Edi Rama for this agreement. The historical leader of the opposition went as far as saying that during the time when the tent was in place, when Albanians were at the peak of their political debate, they communicated with each other directly through text messages. They had talked, clarified each other and advised each other before the agreement was reached. This had confused them even more. It had left them sleepless at night. It had left them without any arguments. Without good. Without anger. Without torture.
This was unseen and unheard of. Not even in December 1990. Not even on 31 March or 2 April 1991. Not even 22 March 1992, when the regime changed. Not even in July of that year when the SP won the local elections six months after losing the general ones. Not even in November 1994 when it won the referendum against the Constitution. Not even in the terrible elections of 26 May 1996 and the violence in Skanderbeg square two days later. Not even in the local elections of 20 October of that year. Not even in the June 1997 elections after the collapse of the Ponzi schemes. Not even when Azem Hajdari was killed and not even in the 2001 elections. Not even in the 2005 elections when Berisha came back to power. Not even in 2011 when Lulzim Basha was elected mayor, although Edi Rama won by 10 extra votes. Not even when SMI governed with the DP in 2009. Not even when Meta left Berisha and joined Rama in 2013. Not even in the 2015 local elections. Never before.
Because in this country, even when we have had a government of technocrats, we have immediately made it a political one. Even when we had a government of national reconciliation, we were divided like never before. Even when we had a government that Berisha considered as a right wing government, we were governed with left wing programs. Even when we’ve had left wing governments, we have carried out, like Nano said, right wing reforms. Even when we were so close to spring or on the verge of the abyss, nobody turned back. We have only moved forward. Without thinking twice. Toward nowhere. With the same enthusiasm that we had asked for Albania to become like Europe.
However, it is too soon to rejoice so much. And above all, to be so sad. Especially those who seemed that they remained without debate. Without a toy. Without exerting their favorite sport. Politics. Not that the agreement will be ruined or that it will not work. But life would be sadder and more boring in the Balkans if political parties continued to behave in the coming days the same way they are behaving during these post-agreement days in Tirana.
Be patient a few more hours. Now the DP and its allies are registering and they’re submitting the lists of their candidates at the Central Election Commission. The electoral campaign will soon start. Now you will see how the true spirit of Albanian politics never dies. And that it has never disappoint you or will ever disappoint you. However, be patient and a little restrained. Don’t have so many great expectations from life, because after June 25, it may not be like before.
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Note: The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Albanian Free Press’ editorial policy
