Yesterday, in Skopje, Macedonia, the presidents of the Stability Pact countries met. Meidani did not meet Kostunica

BY MARTIN LEKA When Prime Minister Meta appointed the woman from Shkodra as Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, not only public opinion but also the political world was caught “off guard.” This was because various public figures had been touted for the post for quite some time. At first, people expected one of the names that had “done the rounds” in the press and media, political offices, and even the gossip of cliques in cafés. The fact that the appointment of Ms. Esmeralda Uruçi is still being discussed with “astonishment” shows how personalized Albanian politics remains. Ultimately, it reveals the total lack of value in politics and, moreover, in part of the media. In particular, it also exposes the absence—or near-extreme impoverishment—of alternatives. Some of the Albanian press, backed by political supporters, hurried to personalize her biography before learning about Ms. Uruçi’s remarkable work to date, going so far as to make an absurd issue of a surname with Slavic roots or to “criminalize” her husband’s activities. The woman, who comes from the ranks of civil society, has not yet appeared in public, but the fact that during her candidacy for mayor she received more votes than any other Socialist in Shkodra in the past ten years speaks to the level of representation and the merits not only of her personally, but also of the society she comes from. The fact that politics and, worse still, the media rushed to test the public without offering any argument or logic in support, regarding a woman who does nothing but read and study, reveals not only paranoia but also a lack of courtesy. We will learn at the end of her term how successful the new Minister of Culture will be. But escaping the harmful sickness of personalized politics, of “throwing stones” at politics, requires, among other things, a great deal of courage. A politician who does not dare, who does not make decisions, cannot provide assurance that state projects will be carried out. Monopolizing politics around a circle of individuals, at least over these past ten years, has continually brought serious contradictions and conflicts. Politics that does not seek the highest values risks killing not only politics, but something more important: the values that embody the development of an open society.

page 4 Yesterday at the Tirana Court, Monika Kryemadhi’s lawyer opposite the editor-in-chief of RD Syrja Dosti. Photo: P. ILO