FLASH
Shkruar nga Arlind Qori
With his shoulders against the wall of the pensioners' protests, Edi Rama was forced to increase the bonus, guessing that such a gesture will confuse the pensioners and make them forget their daily poverty.
During yesterday's session of the Parliament of Albania, Edi Rama took the pose of the New Year's Santa who hides the "gift" of the year-end bonus for Albanian pensioners in a sack. With his shoulders against the wall of pensioners' protests and the TOGETHER Movement, Edi Rama was forced to increase the bonus, guessing that such a gesture will confuse the pensioners and make them forget their daily poverty.
If we break down the bonus, it amounts to a daily pension increase of 26 to 40 ALL per day, on average a quarter of a loaf of bread. This bonus does not even come close to the threshold of the vital minimum, which is the condition of survival of pensioners. If we do the calculations, only in one of the twelve months of the year (December) will Albanian pensioners benefit from a pension that reaches the standards of the vital minimum. In the remaining eleven months, they will continue to escape hunger and buy medicine, supported by their children.
The 2025 budget does not even foresee real indexation of pensions, but only an increase of 1%. This missing indexation will try to be covered with Rama's second trick, the preparation of a second bonus before the parliamentary elections of 2025. So instead of a stable and monthly pension increase, Edi Rama's government will use propaganda maneuvers of donating a few thousand Lek before the elections in the Moroccan hope that this will make pensioners forget about hunger, lack of health care and daily humiliation from a state that is corrupt to the core.
The major structural problems that get Albania the lowest level of pensions in Europe cannot be touched by a government whose power and wealth are based on these problems. First, corruption. In Albania, there is a lot of theft. At least 1 billion euros a year evaporates from corruption, unpaid tax obligations of oligarchs and embezzlement. Not to mention how much money the state budget loses from fiscal favors to oligarchs (strategic investors law, privileges of owners of 4-5 star hotels, halving of dividend tax for corporations, etc.). A part of these funds could be distributed to pensioners, taking a very important step towards establishing the minimum living standard.
On the other hand, Albania suffers from an unstable development model, where money is laundered and work is volatile and informal. This causes an extremely high number of workers (about 50%) to work illegally and not be paid social and health insurance. This will make them elderly without a pension tomorrow and does not contribute to the pensions of today's elderly. Edi Rama's government has capitulated to informality at work, corrupt and incompetent as it is.
Yes, this government has no idea about the sustainable development of the economy, which is evident from the decline of agricultural and industrial production, these key sectors of sustainable development. The decline of agriculture and industry produces the highest number of immigrants, which burdens the pension scheme even more.
Considering all these problems, neither the pensioners nor the Albanian economy can get out of poverty and the structural crisis if the Albanian state is not placed on the pillars of sustainable development, social care and the rule of law. The TOGETHER movement has the governing program, the political courage and the intellectual capacity to transform Albania.
We will be by the side of pensioners, workers, middle-class professionals, young people, small entrepreneurs, farmers, marginalized groups and every honest citizen whose rights and quality of life are based on the hope of a big change. We will also continue to organize with pensioners and citizens to organize protests for social justice.
See you at the next protest!
Lini një Përgjigje