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By Ilir Bushi It is said that once, in a remote village in Skrapar, a caravan of people wanted to cross to the other bank of the canal, where a savage gang of robbers operated, led by a thief named Mustafa. They went to the village elder to ask for help, telling him they were ready to pay a fee just to be protected from the gangs of robbers. With courtly politeness, the elder promised to provide them with an escort: a great hero named Mustafa—in other words, the gang leader himself. Then the poor caravaners, convinced they were about to become victims, looked at one another and said to the elder, “Please, just keep that Mustafa tied up and away from the region, because we are afraid only of his gang; otherwise, we can cross normally, even if we have to pay.” Yet Prime Minister Meta has declared open war on corruption, calling for comprehensive cooperation among institutional structures at a time when institutions are entirely absent in Albania. Playing the role of savior, the Albanian Prime Minister yesterday called for protecting the prospects of the Albanian people, assuring them, by naming the ministers in his cabinet, that they “will do everything to protect the people’s wealth and their future.” The naked truth clearly shows that the Albanian nation is being traumatized every day, its wealth is being plundered, and the spring of its future is being delayed for many years. To this end, the Prime Minister is trying to blame all the abstract elements of late-century history, calling on the names of his cabinet ministers to help protect the traumatized people. In fact, what must be said openly concerns the great truth: the individuals and structures Meta mentions are precisely a considerable part of the arsenal of those who should be held responsible for the tragedy of the gangs’ destruction. To combat smuggling, perhaps it would be enough to respect the Constitution, which clearly states that “smugglers are punished in accordance with the law.” But this Constitution has been trampled underfoot in every case in which government representatives or their supporters have been accused. How can today’s government officials protect Albanian society from smuggling and corruption when many of them have open cases in court over dubious dealings? The ballad of Gjeta clearly tells of a man who was afraid to draw water from a well and called on the jinn for help, but when he returned, he had no way to get rid of them. Thus, the current call to save Albania is brief and alarming: Mr. Prime Minister, remove the jinn from power to minimize smuggling and establish a secure future.

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