Edi Rama continues to behave like in Albania before the flamingos. The long marathon of propaganda meetings in Pogradec was nothing more than an attempt to achieve the same delegitimized scheme of governance. After announcing the Besa platform, the prime minister tried to convince us that all the accumulated dissatisfaction comes as a result of increased expectations from the transformation he has made to the country, a month later, on the shores of Lake Ohrid, he spoke of tricks like ``Pasqyrë Albania`` and ``Radar``, that is, about putting into operation several mechanisms that will try to respond more quickly to the needs of citizens.
It seems like the whole concern after nearly three months of protests is how to show more empathy towards citizens, how to reduce arrogance, and how to act as if our main concern is keeping our ears open to their troubles.
Edi Rama took care to make this message accessible even to those who are unfamiliar with the virtual world of filing complaints. He selected three pensioners, took care to listen to their troubles on camera, whether it was about a few kilometers of road that did not connect the village to the highway, or about some problem with neighbors' property, and then he got the elderly to declare that they had complete trust in the leader. That this was the news he wanted to spread was best understood by an emblematic title of his propaganda leaflet, Shqiptarja.com: “Five hours from Greece to Pogradec, the immigrant: I want to meet Rama, then let me die.”
So, the new fable that Rilindja 0.2 is trying to instill in the minds of the public is a self-correction in communication with people and a promise to stay closer to their problems. This was also confirmed by the Pogradec retreat as a breakup of Besa.
But even if the prime minister himself behaves with all the troublemakers like he does with the captain Shtupali or Vasil Belba, if the entire administration from now on does the same thing as these examples of the big boss by increasing attention and
maximum efficiency (although this seems almost impossible in a clientelist and captive state), the result will still be a mess.
Because the real problem that the head of government is pretending not to understand is not preserving the same model by dressing it with empathy and care, but its complete reversal.
The popular fury that erupted after the construction of the fence and the violence in Zvërnec was just the fuse that lit the fire of dissatisfaction with an entire system. At the core of the anger were the plundering of public property, the deepening gap between that handful of people who are getting richer and richer and the majority who are getting poorer every day, the suppression of freedom and competition, the misery in health and education, which have pushed people to leave the country.
These are the things that need to be corrected, and this is not done by filming those extras who were chosen to play the role of the hallelujah behind the doors of Enver's former villa in Pogradec.
By taking this path, proposing solutions to problems that are much more peripheral than the real ones, Edi Rama is proving that he no longer has the opportunity or power to be part of the solution to the problem.
If a large part of the protesters, supported by those who greet them from their windows, by those who leave their coffee shops to join them in the march, by the many who like and repost on social media, have made the prime minister's departure a non-negotiable condition, Edi Rama had one last chance, to show others, those who are not so radical, that he has solutions for the former as well. That he has the will to self-correct and revolutionize the system from within. Perhaps this too might be insufficient, but it was still worth trying.
But, he is doing the exact opposite. He is continuing with the inertia of yesterday's Albania, wanting to convince us that we can move forward by achieving the same model. This was his real failure in Pogradec. The real news of this retreat is that he no longer has the strength to produce change.
LAPSI.AL
