As time inches forward towards the general elections of April 25 a painful yet necessary debate has returned to the front of attention: the implementation of the decriminalization law. After the presence of individuals with criminal records in the ranks of the legislative, the executive and local government became a harsh reality the law passed which forbade individuals with previous crime records to compete for public office. When it comes to the assembly 7 MPs mostly form the ranks of the current majority were kicked out for crimes ranging from petty theft to murder. The numbers of mayors and public administration officials that were exempt due to the same law is even higher.
The international community and especially the US Embassy in Tirana took a direct and intensive involvement in favor of the law and has reminded the political parties once again about their commitment, both legal and moral, as the electoral campaign is moving into gear.
However the reaction this time from the majority has been puzzling. The Prime Minister, in one of his short fuse temper episodes, declared he is not the police or prosecutor of Albania to check all the candidates. Experts affiliated with the majority poured over all possible TV talk shows and wrote in the press to debate the constitutionality and human rights aspects of depriving people, whose sentences might have been completed long ago or for whom the records don’t match, of their right to be elected.
Some go as far as to say the law should have some time limits, assuming that after some “cleansing phase” there will be no more inclination on political parties to approach local crime lords in the hope of maximizing their electoral results. One is baffled as to whether this argument si naive or outright malicious.
This is utterly despairing. Albania has no luxury to be involved in this theoretical arguments. The influence of organized crime in politics has been an open oozing wound that has kept the country sick for long. The law is not even the full cure but it a good prognostic step.
The general predominant attitude of the public and corresponding behavior of the parties should go even beyond the limitations of the law. It should impose a strong ethical and moral code in w which parties make a clear departure form t heir depend on crime. For this we need a strong civic awareness expressed through the refusal of the constituents to vote for darkness; we need a media that is independent, proactive in exposing the stories and does not target selectively, but above all we need responsible political leaders who make the right choice.
This is not some complicated constitutional interpretation thing or a complex human rights issue. This is not rocket science. Criminals have no place in the Albanian parliament!
