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By Agim BAÇI 365 days ago, the Albanian state suffered another blow to its hopes of showing that it could lead this country toward a millennium without vulgar conflicts. A year ago, Albanians lost hope that they could be safe with their government, even when five parties—five colors of the electorate—were represented there. What is more, Albanians, with their fragmented government, which was fleeing worse than a wretched coward, were challenged by neighbors who have long been shouting that we do not know how to build a state. 365 days later, that is, today, Albanians find themselves facing a September 14 that has arrived like the noise that accompanied the August eclipse. The state, betrayed by cowards and those who had lost their seats, took no care at all over what had happened; instead, for a long time it has been setting up the theatrical stage to make a show of producing documents, in case, 10 years from now, they dared to stop outside Majko’s or Poçi’s office. 365 days later, that is, today, no Albanian is able to say with conviction what happened that day. The state, whose duty it is to put the truth in people’s hands, has been struggling for just as many days to bring it to light; yet after all this time, the state is capable of telling only as many truths as an ordinary passerby can. A year later, no Albanian knows whether there was a coup d’état, as the government claims, or whether we witnessed an instinctive popular reaction to the murder of a charismatic leader. Majko’s government, which succeeded Fatos Nano “for the sake of that story,” has been more concerned with staging the right kind of theater to justify “every instinct” in the face of the institutions than with bringing the truth about that day to light. Are we at risk of another September 14? Considering how it happened, how it is being investigated, and the darkness that is closing over the truth about that day, it seems quite easy for it to happen. When a state rushes to abolish the death penalty and cannot shed light on an episode that shook an entire country, which claimed innocent victims, brought destruction, and led to sweeping political changes, then no one has the right to say that this episode cannot happen again. About last September 14, the conditions—[?]—like a wretched individual; anyone can construct their own story, since those who [?] themselves are saying they “bear no responsibility” for what happened. The state seems to have decided to leave citizens free to imagine for themselves the conclusion to the truth about September 14.

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