Eradicating the Roots of Evil

By Ardian Klosi
One’s initial reaction to a disaster of such magnitude is to seek its cause in an Act of God. If it is not nature, only the State can be nowadays this force majeur. Therefore, in almost all the disasters our country has experienced over the past years- and more than a few of them have occurred- the citizens have pointed the finger of accusation in one direction alone- that of the State. In their grief, which is unbounded and unabated, people point instinctively to a culprit, which is also unbounded in how it can mete out and in its unknown and darkest depths: to the direction of the State.
The Tragedy of G쳤ec has a definite and mammoth perpetrator: the Albanian Government. Maybe, there are other perpetrators of a lesser magnitude, lets say, a worker who smoked a cigarette standing right next to the crates of gunpowder. However, this becomes almost insignificant in the face of the principal question: Who are those individuals who took the decision to establish such hazardous ammunition dismantling workshop right in the middle of such a heavily populated area as Vora? Why was the workshop established in Vora, and was the choice of place influenced by its proximity to the International Airport at Rinas? We all know how very lucrative the weapons and ammunition trade is; was this “factory” in the business? If it was, did the government officials know? Were they involved in this business? Today, these are the questions that can begin to shed light on a bloody racket, which can never be as simple as a mere contract signed by the government with a private sub-contractor, who is allegedly to be blamed for all the rest.
This is what Berisha said at the outset: “Ůfrom the moment when the Ministry of Defence signed the contract with a private company, this private company must be the subject of investigation.” However, later on, he obviously understood that this was an unintelligent justification and requested Minister Mediu to hand in his resignation. However, the resignation will be worthless, if there is no thorough analysis and investigation. First of all, to return to the principal question: Who approved the opening of this deadly business in the heart of Vora, in one of the most densely populated areas of the Republic? Did the former Minister of Defence Mediu really sign off on this without the knowledge of the Prime Minister?
Mr. Berisha must stop talking about, “respect for a private business and contracts,” when citizens’ lives, their welfare and environment are at stake! Meanwhile, the now resigned Minister of Defence, Mediu told us some days ago that it is still too early to look for the perpetrators, first of all the community needs help. However, one day later he understood it was not at all too early to search for those responsible. To provide assistance to the families, whose lives and homes were ripped asunder is one thing, and to shed light on the truths of how this disaster happened is another thing altogether. Throughout the whole world, such calamities simultaneously initiate action in both directions. The first aspect is humanitarian while the second one is the operation to eradicate the iniquity. In the future, such important decisions must never be left in the hands of individuals so cruelly insensitive and irresponsible for the lives of their fellow citizens. Or any decision making they do, must be subjected to such stringent control that they finally comprehend they are there to serve and not to rule, they are there to check things out, and not to sell and enrich themselves, as they have obviously believed up until this day.