Don’t turn a deaf ear to citizens’ problems” / Square packed with protesters for 96 days, Rama “turns” to his own ranks: Simply gathering them is not enough,…

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 the way those in power should communicate and interact with citizens. He explained that, for him, BESA is not simply a word, but an acronym for trust, empathy, service and commitment.

Rama criticized and urged members of his own party 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, so the purpose of the mirror is insufficient without Besa, the compass that guides power. Besa truly is a very significant and beautiful word, which is why everyone now uses it, and in 90% of the messages I receive, people ask for my word of honor. But for us, BESA is not just a word; it is an acronym for Trust, Empathy, Service and Commitment. Everyone present in this room must make these four elements the guiding principles of their conduct whenever interacting with anyone.

“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 for the number of their meetings to come close to the number we hold in a single year. But everything is measured by how open your ears are when a citizen speaks,” he said.