Politics And Traffic In Chaos!

TIRANA, Nov. 23 – Capital Tirana was in a total chaos Monday afternoon and evening. All its streets were occupied by thousands of cars which made it difficult to move, driving at a pace of centimeters or even stopping for minutes.
Just after lunch time before 3 p.m. local time this writer crossed the main crossing at Casa Italia supermarket shop. The first and the only traffic policemen he saw were at the 21 Dhjetori crossing. To reach Tirana e Re crossing at Petro Nini Luarasi high school he needed exactly three hours.
The situation got immediately improved the next day, though traffic is normally heavy due to works done in many of its streets.
No one can really calculate how much fuel was consumed in vain, how much the Albanians’ cars were consumed as a vehicle and, moreover, how much nerves from the people were really consumed too.
Politics believe they can do that.
Immediately opposition Socialist Party leader and Tirana Mayor Edi Rama came out and totally blamed the government, interior Minister Lulzim Basha and police for causing such a traffic chaos on purpose only to show to the people they had failed in the city.
Afterwards Basha came out to say that people had to see how the city hall (run from the opposition) had failed. They also said to have put in the Tirana streets some 700 policemen.
That was hard to believe. This writer saw only four of them (including a very active civil one) at the 21 Dhjetori crossing and during all its ‘pleasant’ threeبour two-kilometer trip.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha also reminded Rama why he hadn’t taken to the streets his 380 policemen of the city hall.
The Socialist Movement for Integration of Deputy Prime Minister Ilir Meta, a leftist small party which is part of the governing coalition after breaking ties with the Socialists last year, also blamed Rama for mismanagement of the situation.
Politicians did not mention or shown any attention to those people who were ill and suffered more due to the delay in being taken to the hospital.
That was done from some media, despite the direction of the news.
Experts speaking at television stations said that political fighting did not help to solve the situation. On the contrary, they said.
Moreover they directly blamed the traffic police being the sole directly responsible for the traffic.
The next day the opposition convened mayors of all those cities where they govern to blame the government. They said the government is trying to make their life difficult mentioning the case of Tirana traffic and also anther incident in southeastern Korca where some authorities (belonging to the central government) took out the new trees and street tiles set form the city hall (run from the Socialists).
Berisha holds a long speech in his cabinet meeting Wednesday mainly directed against Rama and his alleged bad management of the capital for ten years.
Everything is so clear — Albanian political parties have already started their electoral campaign.
The country will hold local authorities elections May 8 next year.
Governing Democrats are trying hard ahead of the local elections making their utmost to downgrade the work done from the Tirana city hall run from the Socialists and their leader.
The government tries to explain to the people that the city hall has not agreed to build a big ring and they are doing it by themselves. Better late than never. The government also blames the city hall of increasing its staff after the central authorities increased the funding.
Immediately afterwards the city hall spokesman comes out to say that, on the contrary, it was the government that has delayed and has not agreed to build the new ring, despite their efforts. He also says, showing documents, that the city hall has not increased the number of its personnel.
So what should the common people listen to? What should those people, still doubtful to whom to cast their vote, understand from such a painful daily rhetoric?
Do the people really care who is running or who is to run a town hall while they are trying to reach home, their kids at the school or else after a tiring working day?
Hard to say that even the strongest militant would first think of his political affiliation before his personal interest of the moment.
It’s natural in this country, once the most isolated when run from the then-communists, to listen that politics decides on everything, including their life.
Couldn’t they listen one day that Tirana’s new ring is projected from the proper architects, only funded from the government, worked upon and checked from experts and they enjoy it one day without trying their brains to whom to give the credits (vote) for?
Or see one day police to do its duty properly.
Let the politics do its duty and fight each other but, please, spare the people for whom, you say, all of you care so much!
Shame on you for such a nasty show of political infighting!