Valo Bela has reacted following the announcement that he has been declared “undesirable in Albania.” He raised the question of what message is being conveyed to national memory when a participant in three national wars is declared “persona non grata.”
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“This is my reaction after being declared ‘undesirable’ by the government of Edi Ramović, Vučić’s Siamese twin.
The history, sacrifice and contribution of an Albanian cannot be declared ‘non grata’ through an administrative decision. When a fighter who took part in three Albanian national wars is deemed undesirable in the Albanian state, the issue is not limited solely to the person who was declared ‘non grata,’ but also concerns the message being sent to our national memory.
Whenever national ideals were at stake, Albanians never distinguished between those who were ‘inside’ and those living ‘outside’ the state border. People who have made sacrifices for the freedom and dignity of Albanians cannot be judged solely through administrative decisions, particularly when there is no transparency and the public has not been given a clear explanation.
No political mandate lasts forever, and no government stands above the nation. History endures, while governments change. Those making exclusionary decisions today should know that their actions will be judged both by their contemporaries and by future generations, who will determine whether the national interest or short-term interests were defended. This is especially true when a government gravely insults Kosovo, welcomes Vučić with a red carpet, and mistreats and brutally beats its own people for thinking differently.
The worth and dignity of a fighter are not determined by whether they are allowed or barred from entering a country, but by the deeds they have left behind and the respect they have earned among the people. This differs from the current government, which is respected only by child killers. In perfect coordination, Rama and Vučić have placed me on their lists of undesirable persons. That alone speaks volumes,” Bela wrote./Telegrafi/
