The new government is placing several young and inexperienced executives in key positions, sparking debate whether this is the right approach for a generational shift or a move that might backfire.
TIRANA TIMES EDITORIAL
One of the enduring features of the first days of the new Socialist-led government is that it has placed very young women and men in key leadership positions.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has placed under-35s (and sometime under-30s) at the helm of key sectors of the country. Starting with ministers in his own cabinet, where the powerful interior minister is 33 and the very important integration minister is 30.
This week, two young women, one 29, the other 31, were placed at the helm of the tax and customs administration. Briseida Shehaj, a young woman who has previously worked in the private banking sector and served as a Socialist Party activist has been appointed the director of the tax administration. Elisa Spiropali, a former civil society activist and head of the Socialist Party’s youth forum, has been appointed as head of the customs administration.
The appointments sparked reaction from the opposition Democratic Party which says that their young age and inexperience makes them unsuitable for the job.
The opposition’s argument only goes so far. In fact youth and inexperience can promote change and be beneficial, but only if these new leaders have the right staff and advisers to help them do their job. Otherwise the entire exercise has the potential to indeed turn into a major disaster.
We don’t doubt the drive and potential of these young women and men – in fact we welcome their appointment as a sign of positive change, particularly when it comes and gender equality. Albania also needs to desperately fight corruption needs leaders at the top that will harder to corrupt – and some studies have shown that women are less corrupt than men in general. And we would hope that young Albanians would be harder to corrupt than those that have been in a system for a while, but only time will tell.
One big explanation could be that the new prime minister wants to implement what he has dubbed “systemic change” and he cannot do so with people used to the old way of doing things. He needs a generational shift to people who remember little or nothing of Albania’s traumatic communist regime. He also needs a group of people who are deeply loyal to him personally. It is a tactic that has been applied elsewhere with mixed success.
But if this is indeed about major change, Albania is no stranger to turning to youth. It has had two prime ministers in the under 35 crowd – Pandeli Majko and Ilir Meta – both placed there in years of turmoil in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Both, particularly Majko, are remembered fondly for their work at a time of crisis. But then both were quickly replaced by more experienced (not better) politicians.
While we hope for success and wish these new leaders success, only time will tell whether they will turn Albania’s governance into an amateur hour or use their energies to achieve meaningful change and progress this country needs.
