Lustration law introduced in parliament

The Democrats’ leader in parliament, Edi Paloka, said the move was another fake effort by the prime minister to attract attention from the serious and difficult economic situation in the country.
TIRANA, Dec. 1 – Two lawmakers, Mesila Doda of the main opposition Democratic Party and Shpetim Idrizi of the Cham community political party PDIU have introduced in parliament a law that if approved could lead to opening communist-era secret service files.
Prime Minister Edi Rama had earlier this month said at ceremony opening a Cold War bunker to the public that files of the former communist regime’s intelligence police service should be open soon to let people know who had been a member and an informant of the service.
Civil society organizations then handed over a draft law on lustration with the support of some politicians like Doda and Idrizi who said they were determined to go to the bottom of Albania’s painful past.
Doda’s Democratic Party was unhappy with her move, as parliamentary group leader Edi Paloka said the move was another fake effort by Rama to attract attention from the serious and difficult economic situation in the country.
He referred to Doda and Idrizi, though not directly by name, as “Rama’s marionettes.” There have been causal efforts for a lustration law in post-communist Albania, but always undertaken separately by a political grouping and aiming at their opponents.
Albania maybe is the last former communist country that has yet to open files of the former secret police. There have been several efforts, but they have all fallen short of winning support.
The debate has included several points of view. Some say that opening those files may bring out names of spies who are now on top of the political groupings or government positions. Others say that many of them have been destroyed, especially while the Democrats with their former leader Sali Berisha have been in power. And others say that could only make things worse at this point. .
Common people and activists, however, note that it is their right to know if spies used by the former communist regime are holding key public posts in government or the justice system.