Less talk, better work in the New Year

TIRANA TIMES EDITORIAL
As Albania leaves behind another year, 2015 could be easily welcomed by that old axiom: Less talk, more work. The reality is that when it comes to the country’s government, there was a lot of work done in 2014. Perhaps what the country needs in 2015 is better work, as well as less talk.
In 2014, the government worked hard to attack highly-visible ills in Albania — ending lawlessness in Lazarat, trying to tame road traffic problems, demolishing illegal constructions on public spaces, going after diploma factories in higher education, enforcing the ban on smoking in public spaces — and trying to change the culture of impunity on electricity theft. Sanctions have grown and the threat of criminal prosecution — and prison — now hangs on the heads of Albanians as a not-so-gentle way to cajole them into accepting a state of laws and rules. Many of the government’s efforts are to be applauded, as long as it pursues the law in a just way that is equal to all and does so in a sustained manner.
One thing to point out in the government’s work is its image-driven approach. Its efforts and PR have had both positive and negative outcomes.
On the positive side, it has often made the country look good abroad. When the Minister of Culture shows up for an interview on a well-known French television channel making a flawless presentation of the country she represents, for example — it does wonders to the image of Albania in a country where the majority of citizens oppose Albania’s EU membership and would rather focus on the worst rather than the best Albania has to offer. We are grateful for the work this government has done in promoting Albania’s image abroad, and hope it will continue its efforts in the future.
On the other hand, too much focus on image, particularly in internal manners, risks turning off the domestic audience and getting out of touch with residents’ concerns. Social media and comment boards are increasingly calling the government’s approach to spreading its views as “propaganda.” Both the government and opposition are also increasingly bypassing traditional media entirely by using social media channels, or even worse, providing ready-made footage and copy that appears in news bulletins and newspapers as news. It is a big red flag not only for Albanian free media, but the country’s democracy in general.
The government’s increasing unwillingness to listen to citizens’ legitimate concerns are also worrying. When the mayor of Korca, a beautiful quaint city in southeastern Albania, for example, built an ugly concrete tower/ art gallery that’s supposed to be the city’s new symbol — the majority of the city’s residents and Albanians in general hated it. Beauty might be in the eye of the beholder, but the general view is that the tower did not fit the city’s historic look. The prime minister touted it with pride nonetheless. Let the peasants hate the art, because they don’t get it, was the basic artist-turned-politician’s response to a torrent of angry messages on social media.
Defending the Korca tower is a symbol of what many are calling the government’s growing arrogance. It needs to tone it down if it wants to stop an erosion of confidence it enjoys among many Albanians.
The most positive development this year-end, however, is the return of the opposition Democrats to parliament — a welcome move that should have happened earlier. Although the Democrats had legitimate grievances, many Albanians believed they did not rise to the level calling for a drastic step like a parliamentary boycott. Many have argued the Democrats did not have strong enough reasons to boycott or at least failed to properly communicate them.
Whatever the reasons, it is in the best interest of the country that the boycott is over, and there appears to be a commitment from both sides toward as much consensus as possible in the future.
While Albanians should be thankful to the two EU parliamentarians for their involvement and efforts in solving the political disagreements of the two main Albanian political groupings, the mere fact that international help is needed to solve such things undermines Albania’s self-image in ways that should not exist in 2014. Let’s hope the desire to seek international intervention does not extend to 2015.