The absurdity of the state and the paradox of the strike Yesterday, the capital’s municipality was locked up. Citizens were asking the way, questioning passersby and trudging from one end to the other, shaking their heads when they got no answer from the duty officer and ... leaving. The mystery of who hid the keys remained a mystery. Apart from Fino, who defended it with Berisha’s and Arbnor’s laws, no one else offered an explanation. Brojka could not speak because he was far from City Hall, in Spain. The state’s strike against itself is a paradox that can only appear in Albania. In the world, only trade union strikes are known so far. By law, the administration is forbidden to organize in unions; consequently, a strike is also illegal. Locking the door is illogical. The part of the administration that is not from the PD, but from the PS, PSD, or PAD, would perhaps be against the strike. Gjirokastra is an example: only the democrats were dismissed, while the others worked as on any ordinary day. Fino, considering the Government’s actions to dismiss local secretaries at all levels, is based on the law. Fino’s logic goes no further than that of a party activist at the level of a municipal chairman. To argue that the law in a decision that throws hundreds of commune and municipal secretaries out of work does not bring justice means not to deny rights. Fino bases the dismissals on a decision according to which secretaries are appointed and dismissed only by the Government. Fine, but when are they dismissed? Why use the big broom when the criteria could simply be laid out on the table? A competition could be used, but moral criteria could also serve as arguments. Whoever is corrupt should be thrown out; whoever has helped overthrow the state cannot remain in the state administration. If this were done, there would be no objections from the opposition. But the point is that the state is applying only party criteria. If things continue this way, one should first become the state. The one we have is another bad copy of the one built by Berisha. It is an absurd state, destined to stumble at every step it tries to take. Absurdity also appeared in yesterday’s strike, where the state rose up against itself. If Berisha’s big state was overthrown as if it had never existed, this also happened because the small state, local government, was built without foundations, based only on parallel criteria. If the Socialists proceed according to the principle of rewarding those who trampled the votes underfoot, they will not be far from the quick end that Berisha’s year 2000 state provoked.

Yesterday Mediu and Godo at the press conference Photo: A. Rama

Brothel near the District Council Page 6

The media smiles at Godo, politics "forgets" Page 4

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Shkodra challenges Parliament Page 4

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