FLASH
Shkruar nga Mero Baze
I know this is one of those things that is very popular in Brussels, now that there is talk of corruption here and even more so among the “broad popular masses.” But the extreme expansion of the list of conflicts of interest is beyond European Union standards.
I looked at several paragraphs in the new law “On the Prevention of Conflict of Interest,” and I was struck by the fact that the law has been expanded beyond members of the government and to officials “in high constitutional positions, members of the government, deputies and mayors (along with their families),” who, after this law, are strictly prohibited from owning shares or conducting business activities that benefit from state assets.
I know this is one of those things that is very popular in Brussels, now that there is talk of corruption here and even more so among the “broad popular masses.” But the extreme expansion of the list of conflicts of interest is beyond European Union standards.
Most European Union countries have an obligation to withdraw from decision-making in businesses and exit from management positions in companies, and I don't know of any cases where family members are prohibited from owning or taking over businesses by family members of these positions, which we have. In some cases, there is a restriction only for ministers, as we have had.
This zeal for us to surpass the EU with a more extensive list of institutions included in the conflict of interest list and an even stricter sanction than EU countries, including family members, is a legal excess and an act of propaganda.
It is a legal excess, because with this law so extensive, it would be a disaster for someone from the family to be elected as a member of parliament, mayor, or other high constitutional positions, because formally it is bad for family members to be employed in the state because they are the ones who are the whole kennel of people, and it is bad for them to be involved in business because the law does not allow it.
Then it falls to the person who becomes an MP or mayor to support the entire family with the salary of the MP or mayor. This is very populist and serves to show that we have the will to limit corruption in the future, but in fact this will only increase it.
Just like the half-hearted justice reform that has increased the price of bribes for judges and prosecutors, this populist measure will either increase the involvement of these positions in corruption to benefit their families, or capable people will stay away from these positions, further reducing the level of political and official representation.
Corruption in Albania has not increased due to the lack of this law, nor due to the fact that ministers, MPs, or mayors have family members with business companies. Corruption has increased in the first place precisely because of such laws that seem to expand the map of disinfection from corruption, but in fact expand the network of corruption and increase the price.
Those who want to corrupt those in power find ways; there is no brother, sister, son or daughter left to corrupt. This simply creates a revolutionary climate of the fight against corruption, increasing the price of controlling corruption.
This is how the Justice Reform was built, by sophisticated its superstructure, by creating several KLP, KLGJ, ILD, KED, instead of the one KLGJ we had, and today we have this situation, where justice is a corporation independent of the law, as it is not accountable to anyone and the price of corruption for the citizen has gone up several times in the name of the new invention.
This is what this law that was decreed today looks like. In Brussels, those bureaucrats may nod their heads happily, the "popular masses" throughout the country as well, but neither corruption is being fought nor are people in power restrained from engaging in illegality. It will simply annoy some people in power who have no power, but are there only for numbers. It is simply a law to make it seem like we are fighting corruption.
Lini një Përgjigje