Prime Minister Edi Rama was today a guest of Osman Rexha’s family, in Shushicë of Elbasan. Osman is a farmer who has invested his life in agriculture and animal husbandry through which he has managed to build a consolidated household economy. Although he no longer works as before, Osman is a careful observer of every novelty in agriculture and in his unit. “The new road, he says, was of great help because it has facilitated a faster launch in the market in Elbasan of our products. We live on agriculture, and everything we have is due to our hard work. Now we can sell our products in the city thanks to this road”, he said.
Accompanied by the Mayor of Elbasan, Mr Qazim Sejdini and the MP of the area, Mr Taulant Balla, in the generous table of the master of the house Prime Minister Rama guaranteed that although a lot of work has been done, a lot more remains to be done. “We have done a lot. There is a lot to be done, but it is important to move forward and not stop. If we stop, we go back. There is still a lot to be done also for Elbasan. We were at the hospital, and it was incredible. There were informal constructions in the yard. The hospital’s directorate has applied for a permission to build a wall there to replace the old wall, and the court allows those who have informal buildings, but it doesn’t allow the hospital to build the wall”, the Prime Minister said.
Osman’s sons also have tied their lives to the countryside, to this fertile area, as they said, to hard-working people who have expanded the range of products launched in the market. They say that they are not only witnessing changes in agriculture, but they are also beneficiaries of other reforms. “Many things have been arranged. Shushica is like a neighbourhood of the city. We produce everything here, from vegetables to fruits. A lot has changed in these four years. We have a stabilized situation in terms of energy and water. We have always paid for energy and water every month. Some would not pay, and we would lack water. And they would laugh at us, and asked us: why do you pay? Why shouldn’t I? I use it. That’s why we’re happy with what you have done, because you’ve put the country back on track”, one of the boys said.
“They abandoned this people for many years. The example they gave was that those who are the best at breaching the law, they shall be respected, whereas those who abide by the rules, they are considered fool, and this story went on for more than 20 years, no state, no institutions, no jobs. But, as you said, work takes its time, efforts, mind and investments because things cannot be done all at once. Canals have been blocked for more than 20 years, and instead of clearing them, they blocked them all. Now, work is being carried out intensively, but there’s a 25-year sludge accumulated”, the Prime Minister said.
Mayor Sejdini said that the investments made in the last three years are more than those made in 25 years, while other investments are in process. “Elbasan has earned 61 million dollars from the government in three years. They couldn’t have this amount in 25 years.” A significant investment in the administrative units located in rural areas of Elbasan is that for lightening. “We’ve had the USAID assistance, and now we have 102 kilometres of new lightening in the rural areas of Elbasan. This is much needed, if we take into account how big the new municipality is, and Shushice is the largest administrative unit of the area”, MP Balla said about this investment. He had also a surprise for the head of the household, as he gave him the legalization permit of his house.
The head of the household asked also about the reasons why the tent has been raised in the middle of the boulevard in Tirana. “They have a great fear of justice. That’s the issue”, the Prime Minister replied.
