By Plator Nesturi
To copy or to use the achievements of the others in today’s world is not a shame and it doesn’t comprise a breach of moral principles. In this sense, the new Albanian democracy had no other choice but follow the path of the others in terms of the reforms which had to be made and to strengthen its institutions. But one thing on which everyone agrees, even politicians of both sides (meaning, those who are protagonists of incomplete reforms) is that the principles of the development of the democratic world have been introduced deformed, turning into a hybrid form with many faces. And this relates not only to the way of consolidating a state, but also the way of making opposition. In different period of times, successful movements have been taken as an example, starting with Ghandism, the Velvet Revolution or the Orange Movement. However, along the way, from massive movements they have turned into minuscule and insignificant movements.
It’s been months now that we’re seeing a political clash on the issue of the reform, the voting or the accusations for electoral rigging. The opposition feels that it needs to look for other options to keep the spirit of protest alive. Despite the cause, the strategy that was once used to boycott parliament, didn’t yield any results. Also, the inefficient presence in Parliament, not showing up in particular sittings, has not been very clear for the public or the international community. The introduction of elements of the economic crisis and poverty that Albanians face in their daily lives as a reason for protests, offers relief to the opposition movement, however, this remains sheer denouncement, because voters don’t see this opposition being a motivated one.
Nevertheless, despite fluctuations and unclear strategies, the fact that the country is missing an opposition is also reflected on the fact that minority parties are not being able to come up with a political incentive or political action. The idea launched on the changes of the electoral code cannot be considered an incentive, because it was something that was left in the middle from the last mandate.
This was also shown in yesterday’s parliamentary sitting. Despite the harsh tones and the seemingly heated debate, in reality there was nothing new. The main topic of debate was crime, drugs and the incident in Elbasan. But they forget about the fact that the episode where police appeared weak in front of the arrogant gangsters of the city was a material which was served by the media and was not a product of the opposition. And this is no clear strategy of a modern opposition, which should denounce abusiveness and be an advocate of the weak and the abused. This is the only way to restore lost trust and become efficient, by also increasing its support among voters.
For this, the opposition needs a strategy and follow a model of doing opposition. And it must also do this as quickly as possible, because the international community has raised many question marks regarding DP’s leadership before the entry in the elections was decided. But rushing doesn’t always lead you in the right path.
What can be noticed when parliament is in session is an aggravation of the situation, which in most cases seems very strained. Common people don’t want to listen to the sides arguing and raising their tones. In itself, this is a cacophony of similar accusations, which both sides throw to each other like mud balls, but nothing is ever solved. If today we talk about crime, criminal gangs, drugs or corruption, people are clear that the entire political class is to be blamed for this because of the ties and concessions that it has made to these phenomena. People will only believe the one who will accept his part of the guilt, before blaming his opponent for it. If this doesn’t occur, then every parliamentary sitting will be like a soap opera, where everything spins and never ends and where politicians only show up to shoot their next selfie.
Note: The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Albanian Free Press’ editorial policy
