Mediu: There is no government here anymore, only figures P. 3

P. 3

Çeku: The Government’s inflation is leading us toward a fiscal revolution P. 3

P. 2

By Agim NEZA We all know clearly that a sincere governing coalition with a serious sense of political responsibility serves a country’s development positively. All the more so because we Albanians have had the bitter experience of 50 years of a monist system. But here, it seems to me that the coalition does not have political responsibility in the way many countries in the West do, to the point that at times it seems to be simply a façade. Responsibility in the name of the coalition also makes it difficult for the prime minister [Text fragment as supplied: “fituar një përqindje shumë të vogël.” — “having won a very small percentage.”] Specifically, in the coalition with the PS we have the PSD, which holds key positions in Albanian politics, so much so that now the socialists themselves envy the posts they have handed to the social democrats, such as those of Speaker of Parliament, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Transport and Public Works. Naturally, this is the shrewdness of these leaders, who make up the majority, in securing these key positions in government. A coalition initially formed with the aim of bringing about dialogue and compromise, and which later… for the prime minister to dismiss a minister, whether incompetent or accused of corruption, and consequently means that the majority bears the same responsibility before the electorate, whether positive or negative. Our experience has shown that coalitions have failed, given that in the elections that followed the opposition triumphed, because of mistakes in government or a failure to reach compromises with the opposition. Unfortunately, even in some cases of compromise, the intervention of a reputable ambassador or representatives of the OSCE or the European Commission seems to have been involved. In my opinion, for a coalition to be successful, alongside a commitment to responsible governance, members of the government cabinet must accept the evidence that, for various reasons, in the civilized democratic world leads to resignation. A minister’s resignation would be the best alternative. But does that happen in our reality? For us, at present, this is merely a utopia; and if we have one or two isolated cases, those involved immediately change their minds or are removed, and the press fills its pages with stories about their rapid return to office and positions. Naturally, there are various reasons for this. Over these nine years, coalitions have been almost fragile, because they have included and continue to include small parties, or parties with a big name, or politicians with reputations who, in fact, received a very small share of the vote in the elections… Naturally, this is the shrewdness of these leaders, who persuaded the majority to secure the aim of bringing about dialogue and compromise, only for these small parties later to threaten to withdraw from the governing coalition, which would force the government to resign. Thus, when we get past the clashes and splits into factions within our parties, they can bring down the government, and we can quite easily end up going to elections. At first glance, it seems that the political responsibility of small parties is much less than that of the majority. In fact, however, responsibility falls on the government that has the majority, and dissatisfaction is greater among the majority’s electorate, regardless of whether that majority may think that “the blame may remain an orphan” when it comes to governing the country. Another reason, based on democratic principles, is that the majority believes the coalition, through debate, disagreements, and compromise, constitutes the main source of democratic strength. Naturally, this is true, but what happens here? At first, it is thought that the small parties will be satisfied with positions, on the assumption that they will simply be strong supporters of the newly formed government and will share the same political responsibility. Unfortunately, our experience in selecting the cabinet is limited to one or two candidates (excluding the press, which may mention four or five names) who do not anticipate what this or that minister will do during their term in the interests of citizens’ development and well-being.

P. 5

P. 6 Prosecutor Tirana brings charges against Minister Poçi P. 6 Special feature with political intimacies and clashes: S. Ngjela, A. Karamitro, Sh. Roqi, V. Minarolli, L. Demi P. 18–19

“I WANT TO SING OF THE ATRIDES,” poems by Zef Serembe; “THE FALLEN ANGEL,” prose by Amado Nervo “LITERATURE AND VIOLENCE,” interview with Amitav Ghosh “KING LEAR IN TIRANA,” a story by Arian Rama