Despite attempts to focus on the violent incidents that accompanied this week’s anti-government protest, one should not lose sight that protests are a healthy part democracy and that this country needs more, not less of them.
The violence and damage done to the public property was deplorable, but it was a symptom of the many problems Albania faces — not their cause.
Beyond the formal ability of the Democratic Party to bring a large crowd in front of the prime minister’s office, anecdotal evidence and opinion poll numbers show large parts of the population are increasingly angry with the Socialist Party’s governance.
This does not automatically translate into support for opposition, however. The Democratic Party too is seen as part of the problem by many Albanians – as its back-to-back electoral defeats show.
However, that should not be of comfort the Socialist-led government.
Its failure to address mounting allegations of corruption and cronyism as well as its inability to keep up with the minimum standards of healthcare and economic development are eroding voter support faster than one would expect just two and a half years after coming to power.
In addition, a series of painful reforms – especially the latest one aimed at fighting economic informality – could have been implemented in a much better way. The stories of arbitrary and punitive measures on businesses and individuals — even if not the norm or the intent — have backfired creating reactions that have led to the opposite results from those aimed by authorities.
In addition, the government keeps sidestepping its current badge of shame: The fact that 100,000 Albanians have left the country this year alone and that more than 60 percent of youths tell pollsters they would immediately leave the country if they could do so legally. While the government is not solely responsible for the economic situation in the country, it is clearly failing to instill any hope in Albanians that a better future can be had in this country.
The government should be commended for its ability to handle esthetics well. It’s very nice to see the Holiday Season decorations in Tirana, for example. The artistic efforts of the prime minister too are nice, even if it’s a matter of taste whether one enjoys them or not.
But Albanians also need jobs, better living standards and full protection for their lives and property. Once they fully have these basics of modern society – and today many do not – then perhaps they can have a full appreciation of modern art installations too.
This week’s attack on the prime minister’s art installation and the replica bunker has its own back-story. Without excusing destruction of property, if the bunker replica was seen as very offensive for some of those who suffered under communism, there should have been an open and long public discussion on whether it should have been built. Deciding to do something without consulting others is part of arrogance in government, a persistent problem in this country.
And government arrogance, which Albanians have gotten to know well over the past 25 years, makes poverty bite a little harder and hope sink a little lower.
