Do not turn a deaf ear to citizens’ concerns/Rama calls out Socialist Party leaders and representatives: Holding meetings is not enough; take notes

Prime Minister Edi Rama has called on Socialist Party leaders and representatives to listen more closely to citizens’ concerns and not limit themselves to merely organizing meetings.

In his speech, Rama focused on the concept of “Besa,” which he linked to how those in power should communicate and interact with citizens.

He explained that, for him, BESA is not simply a word, but an acronym for the principles of trust, empathy, service and commitment.

Rama criticized and urged his party colleagues not to limit themselves to meetings, but to take notes and follow up on the issues raised by citizens.

“Without accountability, transparency is merely a chronicle, which is why the mirror alone is insufficient without Besa, the compass that guides those in power. Besa truly is a very profound and beautiful word, which is why everyone now uses it, and in 90% of the messages I receive, people ask me to give them my word. But for us, Besa is not just a word; it is an acronym: Trust, Empathy, Service and Commitment. Everyone present in this room must make these four elements a guiding principle in their interactions with anyone they encounter.

“Loyal Presence is not an organizational calendar; it is part of a system that makes listening a condition and that condition an obligation to respond. Our problem has never been that we did not know how to hold meetings. In fact, we have been everywhere for meetings so many times, more than anyone else, that it would take others years to accumulate enough meetings to come close to the number we hold in a single year. But everything is measured by how open your ears are when citizens speak,” he said.