FLASH
Shkruar nga Roland Lami
The problem is not simply low political morale...
In a normal country, the municipal council is the institution of citizens: it debates, controls, asks, examines, protects the public interest. In Albania? It is often like a group of councilors waiting for a political order to come to them like an SMS from the operator: “Vote PRO. Now.” And they… vote. With a devotion to be envied.
The last case is incontestable, the municipal council votes to dismiss the mayor without a constitutional or legal basis, as the Constitutional Court's decision to the contrary later made clear. The same municipal council, perhaps after receiving a phone call from the same political office, requests the temporary reinstatement of the mayor. A comedy that even Molière would envy, if it were not so dramatic for the citizens.
For those who refer to Law 139/2015 and the Constitution, it is better not to bother. These are simply decorations on official websites, not working instruments. Our Council has another operating manual: “What did the Party say today?”
In political theory, this body should be a counterweight to the mayor. In practice, it is like a political breathing apparatus that is fed by the executive; if it cuts off the oxygen, the council can't even breathe. There is no debate, no stance, no institutional integrity. There is only a voting button and a desire to appear useful in the eyes of the party.
It is time to openly admit that in Albania, municipal councils do not represent the citizens, but use the citizen as an alibi. The whole game is directed elsewhere. The councilors are simply extras who appear on stage, raise their hand, receive the moral reward and leave until the next order.
The paradox is grotesque, one day the mayor is a “national danger” and should be fired immediately, the next day he should be reinstated as an “excellent administrator.” If this is not political comedy, then a new genre needs to be invented: the political-absurdity of daily orders.
The problem is not simply low political morale. The problem is that institutions are being used as puppets, while the law serves only as a citation in statements. Local autonomy? A tourist card. Institutional control? A theoretical concept taught to students, but not exercised in practice.
Citizens do not need a city council that raises its hand with a remote control. They need an institution that knows how to say “no” when the law is violated, and “yes” only when the public interest demands it. Until that happens, the city council will remain a tribune of political orders, not the voice of the community. And as true representation disappears, only the bitter irony remains, the city has elected the council, but the council listens to someone else entirely. Instead of local democracy, where neither the law nor the citizen has the final say, we have the political director standing behind the curtain with a remote control in his hand.
Këta këshilltar një herë i shërben si letër higjenike Erion Velisë ,në rastin kur Kryetari firmos në emër të Këshillit Bashkiak. Dhe një herë kur vendos çi dikton Kryeministri. Tani letra ju ka ngelur në dorë. Kujt t'ja ofrojnë? Urdhëri po vonohet.