Prime Minister Edi Rama attended weekly meeting with coordinators of the online platform for co-governance with citizens entitled “Albania We Want”:
Thank you for being here!
We hold today the weekly meeting on the platform for co-governance to present just few of the many cases to convey a message to the citizens; the message of collaboration and co-governance via this unique instrument such as the online platform www.shqiperiaqeduam.al, with every ordinary citizen needing three minutes only to gain direct access to the relevant cabinet member and set the government’s entire legal and administrative mechanism in motion in order to address his own individual or family problem, the community or an interest group’s problems.
I am very pleased to see a steady growing number of ordinary citizens addressing the platform just like the positive results the platform is giving in all cases thanks to an increasing number of people as the only instrument they should make use of to find a long-waiting solution to their problems.
I would like to invite Etleva and present the case of a teacher at the vocational high school “Pavarësia” in the city of Vlora, who has addressed the platform and has received the desired response thanks to the collaboration with the office for co-governance with citizens.
Etleva Boriçi, coordinator of the platform for the co-governance with citizens: The case I would like to share with you today involves Mr. Taulant Brahim Muço, who addressed the platform at the suggestion of a group of his colleagues at “Pavaresia” vocational high school in Vlora. Muço lodged a complaint over the Council of Ministers’ decision No 175 dated 2017. Mr. Muço said the vocational education teachers were not included in the government’s decision to raise the salaries of the pre-university education system teachers. Once the complaint was filed with the platform it was immediately forwarded to the Ministry of Finance, which, in cooperation with the Public Administration Department, prepared a draft decision to amend the government’s decision. The amended Council of Ministers’ decision was adopted on May 16 and as many as 101 other vocational school teachers across Albania, including Taulant, are the beneficiaries of the decision.
Taulant Muço: The problem we faced was that of the position of the vocational training mentor, a position which was not included in the government’s decision to hike the teachers’ salary. We are a group of nine vocational school teachers in Vlora who initially sent a letter to the Ministry of Finance and Economy. We received a letter acknowledging the problem. Together with my colleagues, we then addressed to the platform for the co-governance with the citizens to solve our problem and in less the two weeks the government’s decision was amended. It was unbelievable for us to see a government decision to receive the cabinet’s approval within such a short period of time. We now benefit an 8400 lek pay hike. I would like to express appreciation also on behalf of my colleagues.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: In a whole host of problems and issues people rightly seek a solution to; the Platform also addresses issues of this kind concerning certain interest groups, which, although as this case showed they may receive positive response from the administration, they still have to overcome bureaucratic obstacles. The platform provides exactly what we turn into a culture of the public administration, i.e. placing immediate attention to a problem that directly affects an individual, a family or a group of people, the vocational training mentors in this case. I would like to reiterate and emphasize that the platform is no less than a technological transformation of the old traditional public relation offices, which for decades, for the sake of truth, have shown they are not efficient. Transforming the whole public relations network into an application in the pocket of any citizen who uses a smart phone, or who simply heads to the nearest local government unit or to a neighbour who owns a computer, practically represents a swift linking bridge between the citizens and the most senior office-holder in the relevant sector. This makes the senior office holder in charge, i.e. the cabinet members, to immediately become available to the citizen after a three- minute access to the platform to file the complaint.
The platform is an effective weapon to jointly fight against this obstructive tradition, or this tradition designed to avoid obstacles, but which hampers us to have a quick reaction administration. The platform not only solves problems, but sends messages to every civil servant and state employee they should be afraid and immediately act as soon as an ordinary citizen addresses the state offices, because every ordinary person has now the power to hold you responsible for failure to act or worse yet, for asking the seemingly vulnerable people to pay a bribe in exchange of a public service.
The platform truly empowers every citizen of the Republic of Albania. It takes 3 minutes only to have the highest officeholder on his or her side and to have his or her problem solved according to the law. The Platform then ensures the launch of administrative investigations into anyone who hampers the public service delivery. Several civil servants and officeholders have been fired and others face prosecution after violating the law and the citizens’ right to benefit public services. So we will continue persistently to fight and understandable scepticism and mistrust, cynicism or ridicule of many who prefer to complain, pour out their anger and ill-feelings on social media networks, prefer to waste time saying nothing can be done, instead of addressing the platform and file their complaints in three-minute time.
Juela, coordinator of co-governance platform: We will introduce another case of a citizen from Vlora whose problem has been again addressed by the Ministry of Finance and Economy. Mr. Ervin Saliaj filed his complaint with the platform as he was not insured by the company he worked for. The State Labour and Social Services Inspectorate verified the case immediately and solved the problem within two days.
Ervin Saliaj: Frankly saying, I have been informal work situation for over two years. I addressed the Platform to report my case. I am now included in the insurance scheme and I am very pleased. Thank you!
PM Edi Rama: This unfortunately remains a wide-spread phenomenon with the companies refusing or failing to insure their workers, although great efforts have been made to formalize. According to the official statistics, the number of insured employees who are contributors to our economy has significantly increased. However, there are still few people who fear the idea that if they denounce they will lose their job. This is not true, but the reverse is true. Anyone who addresses us and Platform is the shortest, safest way to tackle your problems, just like Ervin did, while the private companies have shown in all these cases that they do not react in the wrong way, but they correct their mistake. This is the thing that we want to do every day, preferably, for all those who are forced to work informally, or for anyone who wants to make a real declaration of their salary, but companies force them to receive part of their pay in informal cash payments. This is a major problem and direct collaboration between ordinary people and government is surely the fastest and most successful way to solve the problem for all those finding themselves in this situation.
The next case best illustrates another important aspect of the Platform and has to do with the society’s most vulnerable social category which has been often ignored and mistreated at the state offices over all these years.
Egesta, coordinator for co-governance platform: Mrs. Lujeta Qejvani addressed the co-governance platform in June as the disability assessment commission had declared her as incapacitated and disabled since 2016. Therefore she filed a request with the Social Insurance Institution in Tirana, but her request was turned down for failure to meet the legal requirements envisaged on the Social Insurance Law, which stipulates a 12-month insurance payment during the past five years. Shortly after the complaint was lodged with the co-governance platform, in cooperation with the Social Insurance Institute, which reviewed the documents submitted by Mrs Qevani, it turned out that she met the legal requirement and Mrs. Qevani is now entitled to the invalidity pension since 2016.
Luljeta Qejvani: I underwent a surgical intervention for spinal cord problems and the disability assessment commission declared me as incapacitated. Social Insurance Institute claimed I was 15 days short of social insurance contributions that would entitle me to the invalidity pension benefit. For two and a half years I keep on listening and watching you on TV while lying on the bed and I decided to try the Platform. I am very happy and it still can’t believe what is happening today.
PM Edi Rama: What Luljeta said is actually what many people think and hesitate when I urge citizens to file their complaints with the Platform. They don’t trust and keep waiting, or seek other ways to tackle their problems. However this is a battle against a deep-rooted mentality created over the years, suggesting that everything you listen or watch on TV is propaganda and the reality is completely different especially when it comes to the government siding with the ordinary citizens. This is a battle we will definitely win, but of course it will take time. This mentality formed over the years has a very strong foundation on the disappointment and the series of humiliations people have suffered in state offices in all this troubled history of the developments in the previous years.
Juela, coordinator for co-governance platform: Ina Hasanaj from Tirana took upon herself to denounce a clothing and footwear manufacturer operating in the Kombinat neighbourhood and speak up for around 187 workers who complain over the technical and working conditions. With the complaint filed, the State Labour and Social Services Inspectorate verified and identified the problems related to the working conditions in the factory. The problem was solved within seven days.
Ina Hasanaj: It is a pleasure to be here today and share my perhaps modest contribution to the co-governance portal, which I saw as a powerful tool to solve my problem. In fact it was a case not directly affecting me, but I had the opportunity to help. It was the case of a group of employees faced very hard working conditions and I felt they were working without dignity, under minimal conditions, with a minimal salary and in the future they could get sick and could also have more severe consequences. I wrote the portal. My first sentence was: “I trust you and I know this will be resolved” and in the end I said “I think these people must live with dignity.” I am a fan of government services, all the portals and everything that can be done better in this country and that we can all contribute as citizens. I feel very happy because, first of all, we got an immediate response. Within 72 hours there was an intervention and response from the portal. They now feel happier, conditions are improved and I am very happy to have contributed.
PM Edi Rama: I am very glad that we could present such a rare case; that of an active citizen, who, I thought was a worker, but it is even more significant as it involves a girl who undertakes to help a community, mainly women, but also boys and men working in a factory under scandalous hygienic-sanitary conditions, which have now been changed. By giving these people a clear message that they are neither forgotten nor abandoned, but, on the other hand, giving everyone the message that anyone who feels such should not think of forgetfulness, or abandonment as a fatality, but instead raise the voice and make their voice heard. We have the opportunity to address and solve endless cases like these. Naturally, in consolidated states, there is no need for such a Platform, although I am very pleased to see other countries expressing interest to visit the Office of Co-Governance and see how the Platform works.
We have sacked and will continue to remove civil servants who are to be held responsible for long delays and failure in delivering public services. The worker who denied Luljeta the right to benefit disability pension has been fired.
There are about 12 000 citizens that have lodged their complaints with the co-governance platform since the online portal was launched. We estimate there are 10,000 cases that have been addressed on the platform, while many others are being verified in the process. I would like to highlight that a lot remains to be done in order to achieve the desired results. The local government units fail to provide timely response to the citizens’ complaints although these institutions are considered more representative and closer to the people and the only conflict with the citizens, not because of their fault, is when the access the Platform and file complaints over issues that should be addressed by the local government institutions. The group of co-governance office coordinators, who cover the issues concerning the local government, do the same job as they do with the central government institutions, but they demands are often met with the indifference from the local institutions. I have hesitated to make public these cases and reveal the names of municipalities and mayors, but I would be forced to do so since these gentlemen – and it is mostly gentlemen the ones who refuse to respond, since female mayors are often ready to cooperate – will seek re-election in next local polls. But from now on they should publicly provide account and will be held responsible over the cases which citizens have presented to the Platform and they have refused to respond. This is the only option as the coordinators covering the local government issues are praying and pleading with them to respond. They are praying more than worshipers pray to God in a church of mosque and if the latter pray to God, our coordinators are pleading with the elected local officials. This should end, at least as our responsibility, as Platform’s responsibility. They are affecting the reputation of the Platform, which we want to be a reputable. Co-ordinators of co-governance who are here answer even after midnight and we cannot afford this situation.
Once again, I would like to thank all the coordinators and express gratitude to our guests, who joined us today showing to tell their simple truths about the interaction with the Platform of Co-Governance, which is the platform of ordinary people and that really puts the government under their service.
