TIRANA TIMES EDITORIAL
It is quite unfortunate that at the time when Albania marks the fifth anniversary of becoming a NATO member, the military, which had long been an institution that saw little or no political interference in Albania, has become part of disturbing allegations.
The opposition Democratic Party says structures of the country’s armed forces are involved in smuggling drugs. It has been a message that has been repeated over and over by different people in parliament and in the media. No proof has been provided, though the Democrats say they have reports from the military’s own intelligence service.
The government says if the opposition has proof, it should share it with prosecutors. It has also called the accusations “slander.”
It is clear why the opposition is pushing the accusations at this time — whether there is any truth to them or not. They are, as the defense minister has put it “terrifying to ponder” and guaranteed to attract both the attention of voters and Albania’s international partners. They aim to hurt the country’s government’s standing for allowing such criminal activity to go under their watch — again if there is any proof of wrongdoing — of which we have seen none so far.
It is not the first time politicians from both sides of the aisle in Albanian politics have relied on extreme accusations to attract attention. Many times nothing happens, whether there is any truth the allegations or not. But the damage such accusations leave behind is real in one thing: the image of the institutions or the individuals targeted.
In this case, it is the image of the military that is being targeted directly, though the real target is the government and the defense ministry. This is wrong, and all those involved in politics should be concerned in protecting the image of the armed forces. The military is the one institution Albanians could be proud of for being a NATO member and for taking part in international missions representing the country on the global scene.
That is not to say that should there be wrongdoings they should be hidden under the rug. But simply throwing accusations out in the hope they stick in hurting the government is a slippery slope. Providing proof would also help sort out what exactly “structures of the armed forces” mean. Is two officers in a truck that are involved, or is it entire battalion?
An advanced society is not defined by whether bad things happen or not, but by having working systems to address wrongdoings and punish those responsible.
In a normal liberal democracy, the members of parliament would have forwarded their information to prosecutors or made it public through the media, including a way for journalists to verify the information.
In Albania, where the media is loyal to political and economic interests first, and the public second, and where the judiciary has mounting accusations of its own, screaming it out in parliament appears to be the preferred method.
The prosecutors will now look into the case, and their findings will be made public at some point.
But in the meantime, the footnote in reports about Albania has already been written — the military has been accused of smuggling drugs. What a shame.
