Government officials engage in corruption, but also wage the fight against corruption! Poor people want greater prosperity and guarantees of strong governance page 3

By FERDINAND XHAFERRI PD MP Having come to head the executive as a result of the balances that shaped the outcomes of the Socialist congress, Mr. Meta had to—and still has to—face his greatest challenge: making progress in the fight against corruption. It must be acknowledged that Meta’s domestic political environment is less favorable than that of his predecessor. Majko operated under the conditions of a Nano dominated by the stance and morality of resignation, whereas Meta operates under the conditions of a Nano who, not without difficulty, has prevailed over their alliance. Among other things, and also to improve his political image, particularly in the eyes of international actors, Nano gave Meta’s career the green light to take the helm of government. Against this backdrop, in the first days of his tenure as prime minister, Meta would declare that the fight against corruption would be a priority. The chorus of declarations would be followed by an initiative to establish a government commission, which still remains unclear as to what it will aim to do and how it will do it. Meanwhile, after almost three months, Europe’s youngest prime minister has called on international actors, the constructive part of the political sphere and society to break away from spirals of declarations and enter a spiral of concrete action. This was the climate in which the first concrete and high-profile action was announced: the dismissal of two ministers. Considering what has happened in relation to the chief concern—the formulation of a forecast for the fight against corruption—we can reason as follows. Meta’s latest decision, followed by President Meidani’s decree and Parliament’s signatures, can be considered institutionally supported, but the question remains open as to Mr. Meta’s willingness to fight corruption without selectivity. An unbiased fight against corruption is fundamental, not only because otherwise the result would be nothing, but also because it would fail to cultivate the element most essential to Albanian society: the revival of hope. In the service of the latter, Meta must bear in mind that keeping ministers whose conduct, actions and public standing cannot inspire hope even among their own families, let alone Albanian society, compromises his future. I believe the prime minister understands that the ultimate objective of the fight against corruption requires transforming the administration from an entity that currently steals on a massive scale and perhaps does some work as well, into an entity that works on a massive scale and perhaps commits some abuses too. If Mr. Meta’s hands are tied, he cannot bring about this process, despite all the talk about it. The near future may clarify something.

Page 25 Luftar Paja and Agron Llakaj during rehearsals for today’s performance photo P. ILO

A scuffle at the Police Directorate between two officials Sheriffs appear in Tirana. The director and deputy director of the capital’s police drew their weapons to shoot at each other at the last moment, as in a Western film, but fortunately did not have the courage to do so. This incident took place in an Albanian state, within the Albanian police force, which is supposed to maintain order. After this, Director Havari was dismissed, having been dogged by rumors of his departure for almost six months. The commissioner left, but what remained was the shocking incident, which brought to a head a major feud that had been going on for some time between the two senior police officials. They issued conflicting orders, communicated conflicting measures, held meetings simultaneously in different offices, and all of this was imposed on the police officers and, indirectly? on Tirana’s unprotected residents. page 9

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