FLASH
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Rama remains stuck in the year zero syndrome, as if everything starts with him.
Spectacle is the spice of electoral campaigns. Without it, they would be schematic and boring. But spectacle must have class, otherwise it degrades into vulgarity.
I will never forget a scene from Bill Clinton's first campaign for the presidency of the United States. He had traveled by train at night to the hometown of Elvis Presley, the king of rock, who was worshipped as a god. At dawn he arrived at the station, where a large crowd of people were waiting. Clinton started off as if he had been lulled from the train stairs, saying that he had traveled at night with Elvis (who had died fifteen years ago), that they had enjoyed talking, that when the moment of separation approached and Elvis had to return to the afterlife, he had given him a message for the people of Tulepo. The message was: Vote for Bill Clinton! Caught up in the magic of the fable, the people on the platform had burst into cheers of approval. Even though they knew that it was all a phantasmagoria, a staged event.
There are many such examples of hilarious and entertaining spectacle in electoral campaigns. In our country, Edi Rama stands out in this regard. His inventions with the wheel, with the tambourine, and others, as well as his spicy jokes, are remembered.
There comes a time when the long-standing power begins to overwhelm the imagination and fall into the masses, especially when it calls the dead to the stage. We saw it this week at the inauguration of the memorial in honor of Gjergj Fishta in Zadrima, Lezha. The project was worth appreciating, the atmosphere was beautiful, although not as comprehensive as the impression the images on the screens left me with.
But Mr. Rama's characteristic self-fulfillment did not spare us an indecent, not to say crude, scene with his intention to include Gjergj Fishta in the government's electoral bloc.
He could have asked for it, there's nothing wrong with that, especially since he's convinced himself that only his government has done anything to restore Fishta's name and work to the pedestal. But at least he could have invented something nice. Clinton took it upon himself to speak on behalf of Presley's ghost. Meanwhile, Rama grabbed the famous publisher, Frano Kulli, the founder of the Fishtiana in Lezha, a talented publicist as well, by the jacket, and addressed him: "Hey, who would Fishta vote for?"
That gesture of pulling on his jacket, instinctive of course and therefore even more genuine, was simply… bad. It seemed as if he was instinctively saying to Fishta himself: Hey, who are you going to vote for? As if he were handing over the mortgage for the legalization of the house. Already knowing the answer, but he wanted the whole crowd to hear it: For you! For who else but you!
These are seemingly small gestures that reveal the high stage of megalomania, the extreme narrowing of the field of vision for life and people, the superficial, decorative relationship with historical figures, the delusion of parasitic mental grandeur, typical of the self-satisfied in armchairs.
No, but who would Homer vote for?
No, but who would Shakespeare vote for?
No, but what would the world be like if Jesus were a woman?
Countries would be taxed if they listened to these rumors from their top politicians.
If he were to know their work thoroughly, Rama would understand the relationship of his operand as prime minister with the vision of Fishta and other luminaries of the national renaissance. Not to remain in their time. Politics is like art. It inherits and surpasses models. But there is always a foundation of values, which connects the times and maintains direction.
All statesmen, some more, some less, have the achievements and deeds of their time on this journey. Even Rama. Since we were talking about the founding fathers, I imagine everyone would have praised him for managing to mobilize unprecedented international support to cope with the consequences of the 2019 earthquake. Or for transforming the country into an unimaginable tourist destination until ten years ago.
But in politics, the good is placed in relation to the bad. In fact, it is usually the bad that leaves the mark. Somewhere as a verdict of history. Somewhere as a verdict of current events. Enver Hoxha cannot rise with truly great deeds above the mountain of crimes of his regime. The deeds are surpassed. The crimes remain a memory and an appeal not to be repeated.
Rama has a negative record of his brand in terms of transformation and elections: The first is the promotion of crime in power, and consequently of power in crime with serious and long-term consequences for the development of the country. Would the cream of the Albanian intelligentsia and statesmen, Sami Frashëri, Gjergj Fishta, Ismail Qemali and others, others, imagine this?
The second is the REGISTER, that is, the encirclement of the necessary voters of the pro-government quadrant, their name-by-name management all the time. I have written several times on this topic. I continue to consider it an anti-democratic investment beyond the natural political activism, enabled by the small number of the population, against the freedom of the person to choose. This would not have been imagined even by Pietro Quarone, the Italian diplomat in Albania in the thirties, who said: “I try to teach the Albanians that free elections are the means to leave and not to take power.”
Meanwhile, Rama remains stuck in the year zero syndrome, as if everything starts with him. Even in Lezha, finally.
It must be said that in Lezha, after the nineties, the publishing house "Gjergj Fishta" was born, with the attributes of a rare national institute of fishta in every field. A private entity, with public functions. The work of Frano Kulli, surrounded by collaborators and well-wishers, including local officials of the DP and SP, who have continuously appreciated and supported it.
Lezha has been giving the National Literary Award "Gjergj Fishta" every year for decades. The Region had it, the Municipality inherited it. Which, this year, has decided to elevate it in all aspects. Setting an example that we have not seen even in large municipalities like Tirana.
In Lezha, the most beautiful monument in Albania of Gjergj Fishta stands, created in 2009 by the talented sculptor Hilmi Kasemi with the support of the Democratic Party government of the time. Various studies about Fishta's multifaceted figure have been supported during those years.
Rama is staying in power longer and would certainly do more. Let's imagine if he had left in 2021, after two terms, like previous governments. He would have left without doing anything for Fishta.
I mean, every government does something. That's how the baton is passed. But, there was no reason to confuse Fishta with the elections in a banal and arrogant way. He has enough of the political opposition he has.
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