Halil Geci has responded in harsh terms to the opposition, accusing it of applying different standards to issues concerning northern Kosovo and the Mitrovica Bridge. In a Facebook post, he recalled the opposition’s earlier criticism of Albin Kurti’s government over the establishment of institutional authority in the north, stressing that today, as developments surrounding the bridge have changed, Kurti’s opponents are no longer using the same critical language.
Të lidhura
None found
According to Geci, opposition to the prime minister was not always related to the decisions themselves, but to the fact that they were being made by Kurti. He claims that in the past the opposition justified withdrawal or inaction by arguing that it was demanded by international pressure, while it did not use the same explanation when it was in power, reports “Bota sot”.
Referring to the political history of the north and Mitrovica, Geci calls on the opposition to explain its current position on the presence of institutions and the authority of the Kosovo state in that part of the country.
He interprets the opposition’s silence as an indication that, in his view, political attacks against Kurti have been placed above the state interest.
THE OPPOSITION DEMANDED WITHDRAWAL FROM THE NORTH YESTERDAY, BUT IS SILENT ABOUT THE MITROVICA BRIDGE TODAY!
In 1999, Thaçi spoke about a divided Mitrovica. Even after 27 years, the question remains open: who has actually worked to overcome this division?
Yesterday, the claim was that “America is not allowing us,” while today, when reality has taken a different direction, the opposition’s silence, according to Geci, shows that the problem was not always state policy, but the person implementing it.
When Kosovo sought to establish its sovereignty in the north, the opposition and several international representatives called for the withdrawal of the Kosovo Police. Today, when KFOR has withdrawn from the bridge and Europe has approved this step, the same critics are not reacting.
Do you remember? For those who may have forgotten, I will repeat it.
Do you remember when Hashim Thaçi held press conferences and declared: “Unfortunately, Mitrovica is divided”? The interpreter, Vlora, conveyed the message, while Thaçi asked protesters to leave the bridge, saying that the matter was under KFOR’s supervision.
After so many years, according to Geci, the question arises as to why the authorities of that time accepted in practice the division of Mitrovica under international administration and supervision.
Because Thaçi himself was an “agent of the French.”
Do you remember that Isa Mustafa’s LDK also followed the same political approach?
But let us focus on recent years. Do you know what kind of pressure Albin Kurti faced from international actors and the domestic opposition to remove the Special Police from the north?
During that period, the opposition and some of the international partners insistently demanded the withdrawal of the Kosovo Police. For some of them, it appeared that preserving momentary calm was more important than establishing state authority in every part of Kosovo.
Kurti took a step back at that moment, but, according to Geci, he did not abandon the idea of unification.
He chose to build other bridges, while also conveying a clear political message: “I am for bridges that connect, not barriers that divide.”
Today, KFOR has withdrawn from the Mitrovica Bridge, and this development has also been accepted by the European side.
What is the opposition doing in the meantime? It is silent.
Geci believes that this silence speaks louder than all the noise it made in the past. When Kurti was trying to extend the authority of the state, the opposition’s call was: “Remove the Police!” Now, when a new development at the bridge has also been accepted by international partners, virtually no reaction can be heard.
Therefore, the question arises: where did the problem lie back then?
According to Geci, the issue was not only the bridge. He claims that the problem lay with the opposition, which, when it made mistakes, justified itself by saying: “America is not letting us.” Meanwhile, every action taken by Kurti was immediately criticized.
When he acted, they attacked him. When he withdrew because of pressure, they criticized him again. Even when he built bridges and tried to connect Mitrovica, opposition to him continued.
Thus, for the opposition, the problem was not always what Kurti did, but the fact that it was Kurti who was doing it.
Even when Kosovo gained institutional ground in the north, criticism did not stop. Under these circumstances, the question is what the opposition really wanted: a stronger Kosovo or simply another opportunity to attack Kurti?
Do not forget that for more than two decades, you who are in opposition today have had the opportunity to lead this country. Apart from stealing, we have seen nothing else from you.
You have governed, made decisions, negotiated and concluded agreements.
According to your critics, many of those years were characterized by poor governance, corruption, controversial privatizations and abuse of power.
When you were held accountable for what was happening, the response was: “America has it in its hands. Whatever it wants, that is what we do.”
But do you also remember another moment? In the center of Pristina, through the voice of President Bill Clinton, Kosovo received a clear message: “We brought you freedom; you build the state and peace.”
This meant that freedom was not given to Kosovo so that it would remain permanently dependent on others. It was given the opportunity to build its own state.
Today, you should be asked several questions. If yesterday you demanded Kosovo’s withdrawal from the north on the grounds that “this is what the internationals are asking for,” why are you silent today when developments are taking a different direction?
If you considered the establishment of Kosovo’s institutions in the north dangerous back then, why do you not accept today that the state should be present throughout its territory?
And if you have nothing to say today, then do not tell us tomorrow that you were right, spinning tales with drums.
Politics does not mean shouting whenever your opponent acts and remaining silent when reality disproves your criticism. It requires vision, responsibility and memory.
Geci also offers the opposition some advice: Let the boy work. If you cannot help him, at least do not obstruct him.
If you have no alternative, do not label every action he takes as treason. And if you believe that you know more about politics than he does, then prove it through a program, not by shouting on television.
Kosovo needs a strong opposition, but not an opposition that judges every issue solely on the basis of its electoral interests.
The country needs people who know how to build political, institutional and national bridges, not people who feed on divisions.
The Mitrovica Bridge represents more than concrete and steel. It is a symbol.
History will show who worked to connect Albanians with their state and who practiced politics by keeping them divided.
Kosovo does not need nostalgists for division. It needs a state, sovereignty, justice and unity.
