Speech of Prime Minister Edi Rama at today’s parliamentary session:

At a time when Albania has no opposition, and at a time when in this Parliament there are actually two governments, a new government in office and an old government that has had its day, we cannot help but face situations such as an old government being gone but not being able to explain why it is gone.

However, there is no problem, we can continue the session as an extended assembly of the united left wing, to talk about the real problems and the real challenges, and above all to focus increasingly more on our objectives, and to deal increasingly less, if not at all, with Sali and his fabricated facts.

But one thing is clear, they go away because in this Parliament and in the left wing of this Parliament there is no person with criminal records. They go away because the most extreme, unique law in the world on the so-called decriminalization of parliament and politics, which was adopted last year with our blessing, fails to reveal anything.

Even this absurd session of 48-hour nonsense, negotiations closed 6 times and reopened 6 times to carry to extremes a ridiculous form, was the expression of the disappointment about the fact that those 19 criminals to be caught by this process were only a creation of the imagination of a dissolute propaganda that produces false evidence on a daily basis. And just as there are in this Parliament no incriminated persons, there are no incriminated persons among those elected by the people in local government either. While, as for the politically incriminated persons, we are all here. I, the first one, and the chairman of the assembly the second one, followed by all the others. All of us have committed all the crimes that fantasy, and not just the fantasy, but also Sali’ experience can summarize in the attacks against the family members of the opponent.

A couple of words about INSIG, for we are again in the battlefield between real facts and fabricated facts. From a leading company in the insurance market, INSIG has turned into a phantom that today has almost less than 5% of the market. From a leading company and a regional insurance company, INSIG was transformed by those who just left into a phantom that has almost less than 5% of the market. The policy of the old government that cannot be an opposition. A company, stretched in all territories inhabited by Albanians in the region and in Kosovo, was on the verge of losing the license after opening a pit, in order to overcome what the finance minister had to negotiate intensively and closely.

And on the other hand, in a market that turned into a jungle, they failed to privatize INSIG three times. The truth today is that the estimation has been made by BDO, an international estimation company, which Sali mentions often in his speeches. The estimation has been made public; it is online, and the company has been estimated from 10 to 15 million Euros.

In a completely transparent process, the finance ministry announced today that bids are beyond the most optimistic forecasts, and they do actually go up to 2.2 billion ALL. So beyond the maximum estimation limit of the company. This is a fact, not an opinion. And on this fact, there is a number of other reasons related to a radical change of practices in relation to the economy, in relation to debt, in relation to the enterprise, in relation to all stakeholders, and obviously in relation to practices of concession or public-private partnership.

There is a fundamental difference. The concessions of the old government were money that was taken from citizens for services from which privates would benefit. While our public partnerships are money that is invested by privates for services that citizens receive. If citizens are still supporting concession companies of Sali, from scanning to plates and so on, let’s not count them all for they are too many, with their own money for services that first have not improved and, secondly, are simply and only for the benefit of the state.

From our partnerships, citizens pay zero ALL and have access to services! If for a basic check-up citizens had to pay 51 thousand ALL, today they pay zero ALL! The private partner company does not receive taxpayers’ money, but takes back the investment benefit from its budget. An investment which benefits from the state of private company and private company which obviously takes its acquisition of – but not charged citizens – as happens in all of Albania’s customs. The private partner company does not receive the money of the taxpayers, but it takes back the benefit of the investment from its budget. An investment which the state receives from the private company, and of course the private company has its benefit as well – but not by charging fees to citizens – as happens in customs across Albania. Whether you take in or out a commodity, you pay a bill even when it is not scanned. There is no scanner in Muriqan, and everybody pays cash. To whom? To the company for a service that the company provides in a few points, and above all a service that it provides to the state and not to the citizen. This is the essential difference. I would like to underline once again. We should not waste time with Sali, we must not waste time by engaging in the battle of various facts. It is the battle of parasites and a battle that stems from the past, from the inability to confront our government and our majority with another vision, with another program, with other ideas. It is a battle to criminalize our governing majority, to criminalize the government, to criminalize every project. Here they are, all the MPs participating in committees, and I invite them to show me a bill – except for international conventions – that has not been besmirched, where there has not been any attempt to criminalize the idea on the basis of the Project, or to lynch the drafters of the project. Not to mention the acts or the concrete work that become a target of a political trial organized regularly on a daily basis by those left today the room for they have nothing to do here. They wasted the time of this assembly with the words “criminals, criminals, law, law!” Now that we have the law, they leave. Why do they leave? There are no criminals here.

 

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First reply of Prime Minister Edi Rama in today’s parliamentary session:

You are a good friend Vangjel, and generally an attentive person. I don’t understand why you were inattentive during my speech, at the point that you turn upside-down what I said. I did not say we are all complicit. I said we are all criminals, and I am the first one. I spoke for myself. We are criminals, and have been treated as such for many years.

Charges against me – that’s why I mentioned the president of the assembly and all the other protagonists who are here, in a longer or shorter political life – are a screaming indicator of the fact that the major problem of Albania and of our society and politics is not decriminalization, but criminalization. Criminalization of the opponent by any means, at any cost, at any price, the criminalization of any idea, the criminalization of any attempt, the criminalization of any work. This is the big problem of ours, criminalization through fabricated facts that are sold as freedom, or as controversial or as a democracy. Here you have them all here in this room. You are an old witness of this assembly.

Here you have them all whose dignity, personality, families, children, friends and everything dearest they have has been besmirched in this room for years. Just as in the old days, with the difference that back then it finished with a bullet, while here it continues with mud.

I have never said to international partners that Albania has a problem with criminals in parliament or in politics. The opposite is true. Of course, it was good that we draw a red line for those who take a public position or enter public service. This sir [Speaker of Parliament] and I have proposed what the Democratic Party has never thought of – the introduction of transparency about the past, not just for those who are elected, but also for those serving the Albanian public and are paid with the taxes of the Albanian people. So, all employees of the Albanian state, because we cannot continue any longer with this monstrous besmirching: “that employee in Tropoje has been convicted of corruption, and Edi Rama and Ilir Meta promote him, and bla bla”.

That is why we have supported this process, but I have never used the word decriminalization, except with disgust and contempt. Albania is not a jungle in Brazil, and it is a shame to talk about a criminalized political class, it’s a shame, is self-humiliation, because there is not in Albania any criminalized political class. This is not the Parliament of criminals. This is the parliament of men and women coming from all walks of life with their successes in life. Even those businessmen who are here are successful people, just like everyone else who have had a more or less successful political career. Who are the criminals here? You have been a witness for so many years. I think that your moral integrity would never approve of you sitting with criminals. If I were aware that there is a criminal here, I would tell “either me or him”, but you don’t become criminal because of the words of those who doesn’t love you. What makes you a criminal is the investigated and judged activity which is condemned as such. You don’t become a criminal because of Sali’s words. What Sali says are medals, certificates of honour for me. Although the taste of that mud is a terrible thing, especially for those who are not accustomed to it. Although the taste of that mud is a terrible thing, especially for families, for our children who have to hear all sorts of mean debates about their parents in this Parliament.

They couldn’t wait to leave the parliament, and we didn’t understand why they left, and then they wanted to come back to not lose the mandate. This is the truth, they wanted to come back to save their mandates, and they didn’t know how to do this and asked to bring two people from Brussels, one left-wing and one right-wing. And we accepted all this. We accepted them with the common sense to take them back in parliament, for they were traumatized after the Albanian people kicked them in 2013. What a big trauma. A party born to bring historical changes in Albania was transformed in an atavism of history.

Secondly, I do not want to believe that you are inattentive, because you have been worrying about some facts coming into light that prove what we said. The sea border is actually treason. How can a national government donate, give away and hand over entire square kilometres of its own country? And the fact that those who supposedly have negotiated the unacceptable borderline were under pressure, under political pressure. It is clear that there is no official, no expert, no normal person representing the country who signs that kind of pact, unless he or she is under political pressure. And there is no greater political pressure to sell your homeland territories, except treason. Nothing else. We have no problem with Greece, with our brothers, and neither with you. It is not the responsibility of the Greek government for finding in Tirana some traitors who gave away the sea area in exchange of some miserable interests. They could it, but they can’t any more. We cannot accept it.

For this reason we have talked and agreed a reasonable line of discussions. We want to solve the problem. But the problem can neither be forgotten nor deleted, and above all it cannot be a rope at the foot of the two countries. Thirdly Vangjel, you have lost everything, and it is not the fault of the Socialist Party, nor mine or of our government that the townships which were turned into municipalities in respect of a minority, you lost everything. Who is to blame? You mean that we didn’t do free elections? It is extremely low.

No Vangjel, I’ve told you as a friend, and I am telling you again. You have only one way. Come, join the Socialist Party. Be a part of us, you have your values. You represent a community that we appreciate very much, and which will be increasingly included within the united left. Come and join the many minority brothers and sisters of the Socialist Party. If you have any reservation, you have two choices that are both socialist parties, so you can join Tavo and the SMI and be part of us, because you are a value and a great capital. But you cannot come here and talk about failures. This is very low.

I’m not dwelling any longer, but I invite by addressing your reason, not your anger, because you are angry. Do not be like those who are not here in this room, and whose anger is bigger than their shame, and their tongue is longer than their vision. You are not among them.

Maybe you feel offended when I said that we got stuck here with the extended assembly of socialist, and you didn’t want to make the difference that you’re not with us. But I didn’t say it deliberately. I see you as part of us. And you know very well that we are a family where we have many disagreements, but we don’t give up on each other. I assure you that you will feel much better.

And will be even more open when you hear that in 2013 the economy was like a being chasing his own tail. While this year growth has tripled. Is 3.4% enough? Absolutely not! But is it a completely different thing from 2 and a half years ago? It would take Sali to say the opposite. You are not Sali, Vangjel. You talked about the poor, but I beg you since it is becoming very painful hearing them take on the poor when they have nothing to offer. The poor should not be used for political ambitions. You know it very well, for you know very well the recent history of Greece. Many wrong step shave been taken on behalf of the poor, and Greece is suffering badly today. It was on behalf of the poor that they sang the International in the streets of Athens, but the song ends and poverty deepens. This is the history of the International and of the exhausted left-wing. But you are not a tired left-wing, you’re a good Greek, you are a friend of ours, so think about this since I said it very sincerely, very brotherly. Come and be part of the socialist party, and I assure you that we will make possible what seems impossible. We will even befriend you with Shpetim Idrizi.

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Second reply of Prime Minister Edi Rama in today’s parliamentary session:

Vangjel,

Since I believe now that it is not time wasted to deal with you, on the contrary, and since you opened a window where there is room to work, I ask Pandeli to work with you, so that you can look at the Socialist Party as you said, that the Socialist Party is not Edi Rama, and you can become part of the Socialist Party to improve it or to leave, and even to participate in the referendum in the Socialist Party.

I am convinced that it was the best part of yours who spoke now, your socialist part. Keep this in mind, so that you won’t go blind because of the temporary anger against me. You’re not a person who holds a grudge, and what you said about “friends are dear, and the truth is even dearer” must guide you.

So, for the sake of your dear truth that connects you so strongly with the Socialist Party, for the sake of many dear friends you have here, including me – but at this moment I need you to correct myself – become a member the Socialist Party and be part of all the great movement in the minority going back home.

The minority is coming back home, it is returning to the socialist family, it was becoming again part of that family that has historically shown respect, appreciation, tolerance, love for all minorities, including you.

You have given love, but have received a lot more love from this party. So, it is my duty in this campaign of memberships to invite you once again to become part of the Socialist Party.