By Mustafa Nano
Lulzim Basha has launched another campaign, the campaign within the party, through which he seeks to be reconfirmed in the post of party chairman. It has started to appear in Albania. He has started meeting and contacting exclusively Democrats, this time. Not with the Albanians. And the mantra of this campaign is one and only one: “An electoral massacre has taken place. We did not lose. Our elections were stolen! ” Even yesterday, from Përmeti, he informed us that the Democratic Party has prepared a detailed report on the electoral massacre. They have translated it into English and will send it to all people around the world, in the western world, who are interested in or following the political developments in Albania. This is a very ugly phenomenon and practice.
I think that first, the initiative of the report that will be sent abroad is a stupid initiative, because all our international partners do not need to be informed by local actors, regarding the Albanian political and non-political developments. They have their resources. Especially when it comes to elections, electoral processes, they have the most reliable resources in the world. They have OSCE / ODIHR observers. And among the latter and the observers of the Democratic Party, or the apparatchiks of Lulzim Basha, the international partners, but also us as Albanians, believe the first, believe the international observers of the OSCE / ODHIR. This is clear.
The initiative is not only stupid, it is also evil. Because evil are the efforts that are a boring ritual already in Albania, for 30 years. Attempts to discredit, denigrate, blacken, harass or pitch the political opponent, or the political reality in Albania in front of foreigners. In other words, it is ugly to try to get unwashed home clothes out of the market. And this is a Berisha practice, which we must give up. It is a practice invented by Berisha, like many other practices. And since we are in this practice that I qualified as Berisha, I have to tell you an anecdote from my life, but also from the life of Sali Berisha, Fatos Nano, and some others.
From 2000-2001, when I was working for the newspaper “Shekulli”, a day was organized in Strasbourg for Albania, in response to the local quarrels that were taking place at that time between Fatos Nano, who was the Prime Minister, and the other party, which is represented prore by Sali Berisha. The hall was filled with MEPs. There were several hundred MEPs. The floor was given to Fatos Nano, who delivered a short, simple, normal speech. He left no mark, but also did not leave indifferent those who were there. After him, Sali Berisha took the floor, who started firing from his mouth, as usual. At one point, he even pointed the finger at Fatos Nano, who was two meters away, and told MEPs: “This man is doing child trafficking with Al Qaeda.” Wow !!! It may seem incredible today from the distance of years, but it is true.
I am a witness that this is true. I also wrote an article for “Shekulli” at that time. It was one of those moments where (along with other journalists) I was worried. But most concerned was Fatos Nano. He glared at his compatriot as if to say, “What have you done to us, miserable man!” He put his hands on his head, and a few seconds later left the meeting altogether. He left and never returned. In front of the MEPs, only Berisha remained, who in his style started talking about Albania as he knew how to speak. Many MEPs reacted. Some even laughed and some started making fun. And this is the reaction that politicians should expect. Ridicule and laughter, whenever they go out and speak ill, vomit bitterness, denigrate their political opponent. Even when laughter is not thrown in their face, be assured that after closing the door and leaving, their friends who have been waiting for them laugh and maybe laugh out loud.
This is the reason why our politicians should stop, especially when they are in opposition, with such efforts, to shift or export all our madness, our rogue, our stupidity in Europe, in America, or all over the western world. We can solve problems and problems here inside. There is plenty of space to sort them out internally. Moreover, I think that many problems that were identified (some of them rightly) by the opposition, during the last electoral process, such as, for example, the use of public administration in the electoral function, could have found solutions that on June 25, 2020, when the famous negotiations between the SP and the DP took place, in the presence of the American ambassador.
At that meeting, in that negotiation, the Democratic Party was free to make all the proposals, because the majority, under pressure from the internationals, showed its willingness to consider all the suggestions, the proposals of what it had in mind. And in fact, everything that was done was done because the Democratic Party wanted it. So it is possible, it is easy, whatever it was under the presence of internationals.
One last thing. Yesterday and today, the German Minister for Europe, Michael Roth, was in Tirana. He had a meeting yesterday with Prime Minister Rama. And today there was a meeting with the leader of the Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha. At the press conference with Rama, he was heard to offer himself to resolve the crisis in Albania, to promote and encourage dialogue between the parties, between the majority and the opposition. In my opinion this is a shameful thing. But the German minister is not ashamed. We are all ashamed that we force people like him, put them in a situation where they feel compelled to offer themselves as crisis solvers.
I am sure that he also said this to Basha. If I were in Basha’s place, my answer would be: “Thank you very much, Mr. Minister! I really appreciate your willingness. But the time has come, after 30 years with the same history of disputes, disputes and quarrels, the time has come to come to terms with each other, and I will do my best to come to terms with the majority and the leader of the majority. Thank you very much! Thanks! ”
But I am sure that Lulzim Basha did not do this. I also know the reason why. He did not do it, because from the moment you do this, from the moment you tell everyone that I will solve my own problems, internally, you no longer have a mouth to open after the elections to contest the result of elections in case you lose them. However, for the opposition politicians, for the opposition leader, the most important thing is not to win the elections.
This is important, but it’s even more important. And that is to have the chance or the opportunity to contest the elections, if they lose them. If he does not have this chance, he is dead. Look at Lulzim Basha! The only branch where it is being caught is the branch of electoral massacre. Had he not been caught at this branch, he would have already fled. We must give up this ugly practice.