The decision by Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama to give 2,500 euros to each police officer deployed during the recent protests has drawn a reaction from publicist Gëzim Mekuli.
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Mekuli sharply criticized the way Rama is treating students and protesters. In his response, he compared the current climate to that of the Weimar Republic in Germany, warning that propaganda, corruption and the concentration of power could damage democracy from within.
According to the publicist, when a prime minister uses public communication to attack citizens, bully them and evade political responsibility, institutions lose people’s trust. He stressed that democracy is not the property of Edi Rama or the oligarchs, but belongs to the citizens.
Mekuli called on Rama to reflect and listen to students, the youth and the people, rather than becoming, in his words, a spokesman for the oligarchy and the mafia. He stated that the prime minister should address citizens in the name of the government, not in the name of the oligarchy and the militia, which he said is being paid 2,500 euros. According to him, this amount is higher than the salaries police officers receive in Norway, Germany, Italy or Greece.
The publicist urged students, parents, women, men, young people and the elderly to take to the streets and squares, encouraging them not to be afraid. He argued that this right was guaranteed by Rama himself at his press conference.
Mekuli’s call was for powerful but non-violent protests, in the spirit of Gandhian resistance, with the aim of paralyzing the life of the regime. He claimed that, according to Rama, even a peaceful people demanding justice and accountability can be declared violent or “mentally ill.”
Referring to the phrase “My friend Vuçiq,” Mekuli said that this expression, in his view, has hurt 2 million Albanians in Kosovo and caused panic among the 8 million Albanians around the globe. He declared that there can be no protest, government or academy that could understand and justify such a stance.
The full reaction was published on Facebook and relayed by “Bota sot.”
