Analyst Skënder Zogaj has expressed deep concern over political developments and the prolonged institutional deadlock in Kosovo, warning that the dysfunction of institutions must not become the norm.

In particular, he focuses on the Democratic League of Kosovo, the party founded and led by Ibrahim Rugova.

Zogaj raises concerns about how this political tradition has reached a point where the LDK is viewed by some citizens as unclear in its political orientation and incapable of offering a credible alternative.

Speaking about the idea of a “New Path,” he stresses that such a political direction must necessarily have a clear destination.

In his full article, entitled “Kosovo Facing the Responsibility of State-Building,” Zogaj expresses deep anger and concern about the political course and the current situation in Kosovo. He considers it difficult to accept that, after a quarter-century of freedom and following the declaration of independence, the country still faces serious obstacles to the full functioning of its state institutions.

He sees this situation as a sign of an indigenous political darkness that must not be normalized, and believes that many fellow citizens share this concern. According to him, if someone still does not see the danger, it is time to open their eyes and ears, because this is no longer an ordinary political confrontation, but something that directly affects the functionality, stability and future of the state of Kosovo.

Zogaj recalls a statement by former NATO Secretary General George Robertson, one of the international figures who made a major contribution to the liberation of Kosovo: “Kosovo’s enemy is not only Serbia. It also has other enemies in the world who want to restrict it and return it to its historical position as part of the old Yugoslavia.”

Considering Robertson’s political stature and experience, Zogaj believes that this warning deserves to be taken seriously. Nevertheless, this is precisely where the troubling question arises: how is it possible for a free, independent and internationally recognized Kosovo to allow political dysfunction to damage its own statehood?

He calls this difficult to understand. According to him, it is even more difficult to understand the political blindness of part of Kosovo’s ruling class and the arrogance of party leaderships which, gripped by rivalry and the hunger for power, risk placing party interests above the general state interest.

Zogaj stresses that Kosovo cannot be held hostage to temporary party calculations. After a quarter-century of freedom, state institutions cannot be viewed as tools of party confrontations; on the contrary, they must stand above parties, personal interests and electoral cycles. He adds that a state is not built by treating the political opponent as an enemy and party interest as equal to the national interest.

For this reason, he says, the historic figure of President Dr Ibrahim Rugova is more sorely missed today than ever before. Zogaj recalls that even during the darkest periods of oppression, the Albanians of Kosovo did not give up establishing and operating their political institutions. Even under the extraordinary circumstances of the 1990s, when Kosovo was under immense military, police and political pressure, Albanians created and maintained parallel and legitimate institutions, showing that the political will of a people cannot be extinguished through violence.

The 1998 elections, held in a Kosovo engulfed in the flames of war, are among the strongest proofs of this commitment. Under exceptionally difficult circumstances, Kosovo’s political class, although attacked and exiled, sought to preserve institutional continuity and the political representation of the people, reaffirming Dr Ibrahim Rugova at the head of the institutions of that time.

These developments, Zogaj notes, have at various times been tarnished with political labels and one-sided interpretations. Nevertheless, regardless of the criticism that may be directed at those processes, he believes one thing must be acknowledged: Rugova clearly understood how important the existence of Kosovo’s political institutions was. He understood that liberation, freedom and independence could not rest solely on resistance, sacrifice and war, but also required a stable institutional and political foundation.

In this sense, Rugova’s vision of institutions belongs not only to the past; it remains a political lesson for the present. Therefore, the question that must be asked today is simple but significant: how is it possible that, a quarter-century after the war and the declaration of independence, Kosovo still faces such institutional functioning crises? How is it possible for a free and independent state to be unable to ensure the continuity of its institutions in a normal manner? How is it possible for the citizens of Kosovo to be forced to witness endless political confrontations, while the fundamental duty of the political class should have been to make the state functional?

These questions, according to Zogaj, cannot be resolved through party propaganda, mutual accusations or electoral rhetoric; they require historical and political responsibility. He emphasizes that the Albanians of Kosovo cannot behave like a people wandering disoriented through the fog precisely at the moment when they must demonstrate maturity, responsibility and state-building awareness. Freedom and independence are not gifts to be taken for granted; they are the product of a long history of sacrifices, political efforts, resistance, war and international support.

Zogaj warns that any political class that places party interests above the functioning of the state must become aware of the weight of the responsibility it bears. He then expresses particular concern about the Democratic League of Kosovo, the formation founded and led by Ibrahim Rugova, which once represented one of the most important Albanian political efforts to confront the communist system and build a democratic alternative based on political thought, peaceful organization, and the power of words and arguments.

He considers the following question legitimate: how did it happen that this tradition, once one of the clearest paths toward European and Euro-American democracy, is today identified with a policy that, in the eyes of many citizens, appears unclear in its orientation and powerless to produce a credible alternative?

According to him, the concept of a “New Path” should have brought a new political, institutional and state vision. However, a political path has meaning only if it leads somewhere; if it does not lead toward a clear goal, it risks becoming a journey without direction. As for the other parties, Zogaj says he will not elaborate, but as a citizen of Kosovo and as someone who loves his country and its people, he has only one appeal: Do not play with Kosovo’s freedom and independence! Do not devalue what has been achieved through extraordinary sacrifices! Do not put the state up against the party! Do not make democracy hostage to personal ambitions! And, most importantly, freedom is not merely a right, but also a responsibility.

In the end, Zogaj recalls that Kosovo needs functioning institutions, political responsibility, a democratic culture and a political class that understands that power is temporary, while the state is permanent. Political formations come and go, governments change and leaders are replaced, but Kosovo must remain. According to him, this should be the principle on which every political decision made today is built.

The post Skënder Zogaj: How did the LDK stray from Rugova’s path and end up without direction? appeared first on Albeu.com.

In a statement published on Facebook, the organization stressed that the three Albanian-American brothers were brutally executed by Serbian state structures after earlier being arrested and sentenced to prison by Serbian authorities.

“Even after 27 years, those who ordered and carried out this crime have not been brought to justice. Despite repeated promises by Serbian officials and the continuous demands of the United States, the Bytyqi family continues to wait for justice, while Serbia continues to withhold the answer it owes to truth and the law.

Albanians For America honors the sacrifice of Agron, Mehmet and Ylli Bytyqi and reiterates that delivering justice is not only an obligation to their family, but also a test of Serbia’s willingness to take responsibility for a crime committed by its state structures,” the statement further said.

The post On the 27th anniversary of the killing of the Bytyqi brothers, justice is sought for the perpetrators and those who ordered it appeared first on Albeu.com.