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

The issue is very simple. A committee has been launched, and it has done nothing. It convened twice on June 30, and the only thing it did was to produce banal propaganda. I’ve stated publicly, there is no surprise that in mid-September the government will propose its own version. No surprise.

On the other hand, we have also promised – and as far as I know this is a shared commitment – to refer to the law “Severino” which is the most advanced effort in this direction and which to date is still considered to be within international standards, because its fate is unknown, since a huge debate is going on about it in the Italian Constitutional Court. But this is not important to us.

I know that you also have consulted with experts who have come specifically from Italy, with the law writers. It is equally true that the Minister had been assigned to communicate with the previous speaker here, to build a process that leads to a joint product.

I have never had any doubt about what you are interested in and who you are. Neither have I expected you to agree on a common product, but let us refer to facts. Instead of the common product, you submit unilaterally the drafts of the Democratic Party, not of the committee. This is your right. So where is the problem? There is a draft of the Democratic Party, there is a Government initiative, which will be joined by MPs of the majority for a constitutional amendments initiative, referred to this process which enters the normal course of confrontation of documents. We are willing to listen to you. We are willing to agree on everything that is within a clearly predetermined framework, but we don’t accept SHQUP stile inventions. We can agree on everything that falls within a clearly predetermined framework, i.e. the law “Severino”, the US and EU legislation on these issues, and that’s all. Forget about us accepting SHQUP inventions. You want them for propaganda, you want them because you have nothing to do, and you are holding on to this story, while we are 100% interested and willing to vote it, and we will vote it. Whether you want it or not. But there is one important thing, in my view, the greatest percentage of the substance is the same. You have envisaged 34 works, while we have envisaged 73 works, so more than you, but I don’t believe that you think of it as a problem. If it is a problem is not our problem.

We have extended it to all public function, not only to the elected ones but also to the nominees. So, anyone who receives a salary from the taxes of the citizens of this Republic must be subjected to the verification, and if verifications show that he/she has been convicted of all offenses referred to, cannot get a salary under the terms defined, from forever up to 20 or 10 years from the budget of the Albanian citizens.

Even at this point, I do not believe that you have a problem, because we solve also the big problem of the large club of hunters, for you catch one here and one there and come out in press conferences and tell us about the incriminations of nurses in Tropoje. But it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that we will do it. We will do this willingly. So, in order not to waste time, if you are interested of course, the basis for consensus is wider than ever, referring to drafts, not referring to will and desires and your passion for consensus, because Albanians know by heart who you are and what how much you are connected with consensus.

But let’s refer to the drafts. We are absolutely willing to include also things that maybe are not yet included in our draft, but the framework remains the same. So, let’s be very clear on this. We don’t accept any SHQUP invention. We don’t make our country ridiculous, and we don’t make a fool of ourselves. Your problem, I don’t want to comment on you, for you speak clearly for yourselves and have become the comment of yourselves. That’s all. Now, I believe we are in the conditions to work. Until now, we were in the conditions of banal propaganda and daily muddying from you. Now we are in the conditions to work. Do you want to work? Come on, let’s do this, and this can be done very quickly. You don’t want it? No problem. We will do it. That’s for sure.

Again, I see no reason for you to not do it – if we refer, I say it once again, to the most advanced international practices in this regard, and if we refer to what you have said, and we have said; the need to prevent the penetration of each person who in their past, in addition to their criminal record, they have had problems with justice, according to a list of defined offenses – it is quite simple, we do not have what to talk about or what to blame to each other.

Of course, we cannot agree on everything. It is your right to refuse any invention that you may find in our draft, and which is not found in any other legislation. It is your right, but as for SHQUP, it is you who chose it, so make up your mind.

Parliament has to deal with parliament. SHQUP has to deal with SHQUP. As long as we are here, this parliament will never become SHQUP.

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Actually, I came here to discuss the law on education, I did come neither for this issue nor for the tests. For there are even more painful tests that could bring problems. As for the flag, people across Albania know that you have the flag, you have it also in Latin.

First of all, don’t mention any more this things about internationals. Not for me, for yourselves. This is the parliament of Albanians, it’s not the parliament of internationals. Our government is the government of Albania, it’s not the government of internationals. I am the prime minister of this government. I haven’t been sent by NATO, neither am I the ambassador of any foreign country. I assure you that as far as I am concerned, and as far as we are concerned, we do what we do because that’s how we believe it and think about it.

And what we believe and think differently from friends, partners, and from you who are our friends more than any other friend and partner of ours, we believe and think differently and we do not do it. It’s very simple.

You think you are saying something smart that makes you look like knights fighting with crime, when you say that “this one takes pictures with the Mayor of Kavaje”. The Mayor of Kavaje has been elected by the people of Kavaje. He is there thanks to the will of the people of Kavaje. They have been elected as mayors of Kavaje and Kruje, and I have no problem, on the contrary, to meet with them and take pictures with them. If one of them, or both of them – since you are engaged in discovery activities – results to have been convicted, not by final decision, but even by a first instance court in Albania or anywhere else on the planet, bring the respective document, and I assure you that we are willing to join you and require them to leave, otherwise we will block municipal councils together. But people are not criminals because you decide so. You don’t have this power. The more you act as the supreme morals, the more ridiculous you become, because the second elections round was not two years ago, but just two months ago.

Since you speak on behalf of the Albanians, although I don’t know with what kind of authority you do this, I am telling you that Albanians didn’t mind to give you this the same amount of slaps they gave you two years ago. Doesn’t this make you think somehow?

Doesn’t this make you think that you can’t treat Albanians like flock? In addition, your shepherd is so worn out that he can’t even stand on his own feet. How can he look after a flock? He only has the 30 of you here in this room. 30 sheep altogether. So, please, we owe this Parliament a minimal level of intelligence. You have messed up your relation with logic.

As far as MPs are concerned, I am talking about anyone in this room, of one wing or another, anyone breaching the law will have the same fate. That’s out of question. This is a big difference between you and us. None of them was a criminal because you said so. You can’t make of anybody a criminal, because in the eyes of all of you here we are the criminals. According to you, I am the main representative of this group of interest, am I not?

If it were for you, Albania would continue with the grandchildren of those who used to shoot Kalashnikovs in front of hotel “Dajti”, and with the guard of the son who would shoot the waiter right in the forehead. That’s how Albania would go on.

This is the first governing majority that doesn’t make any distinction, and like no other previous government, it doesn’t refrain from hitting within its ranks without doing any compromise. And we will continue hitting anyone in front of us. No doubt on that.

While, as far as killed and injured people are concerned, we’d rather not count them. And we’d rather not dwell into who’s responsible for the many wounds have been caused to this country. We’re not here for this.

As for your conditions, just think about the fact that your leader was a mayor ad hoc, as Flamur says. Because you brought the mayor from SHQUP, while there was another ad hoc there. You take the ad hoc in televisions, and say that you are collaborating with the PMO to extract documents for the SMI. Do you get what point you have reached? Can you get your pipe dreams? And you still that people out there can believe even for a second that you are fighting crime. You are decriminalizing? What a shame? What are you decriminalizing?

You are decriminalizing Albania. You are so out of game, mentally speaking, that you think that Albanians are such a fool to believe it. Even when, not we, neither the State Police, but Guardia di Finanza put in front of your interior ministers the aerial photos of cannabis planted across Albania, what did you, the anti-drugs force, do after you came down to earth with a bump? What did you do?

322 hectares were planted in your days, according to the pictures of Guardia di Finanza, and not according to what the “group of criminals” leading the government says. You have eradicated only 7%. Surely you have eradicated them in collaboration with Gate. Gate told you, look at them. They are competing with us.

There is no other explanation for this. Only 7%. You’ve been talking only about drugs for a year, and you talk as if you smoked cannabis from all day long. You saw the facts. Only 44 hectares have been planted in one year, in remote areas, as if it were not you. Do you remember those broadcasts? For we have here some from the social issues. Do you remember them? Those children covered allover with white powder, as if it were snow, and explained how they packed them. Do you remember the trucks crossing the highway to water the “Republic”? Do you remember all of this?

Do you think people are such fool? Even when, not we, but Guardia di Finanza would show facts that from 44 hectares 43.2 were destroyed. Why do you deny it? Or maybe because you consider SHQUP now as a sort of diplomatic representative, and say “the ambassador said this and that”.

Ok, but how come that the ambassadors who were yesterday – who come there, and the ambassador to whom you refer in a speculative manner – how come that he says: “Progress in the fight against crime and drugs has been extraordinary.” How can this be explained? Since you are the diplomatic representation here, you are the house of diplomats in Albania and know everything they say. You are so miserable, and people feel sorry to waste their breath when they look at you and understand whom they are talking about.

For the present case, I repeat it. Do you want the project? You have your version, you have also our version. Take them, align them as you wish, we are ready to vote, provided what I said. No SHQUP not invention.

I’m telling you once again. Criminals are determined by the court, not by SHQUP. The time when the party used to determine were criminals is over. The problem is that you are left with the last bone, who stands up, speaks and leaves. You have been left with the last bone of the skeleton of that party. So, you speak with the language of the bone. It is not the party that determines who is a criminal. It is the court.

We are asking you to go further. Not only final decisions, but also a decision by a first instance court shall be considered grounds for suspension from duty of every functionary, whether in government, in Parliament or in the administration, until the decision on his/her innocence or sentence becomes final. Where is the problem?

If you want law, law is totally doable, provided that you are serious about it. Consensus is fully accessible provided that you are serious about it. Ultimately it does not matter. You wanted authorship? Here it is, no problem. Let it to Oerd, for he cries when the leader tells him how to do it properly. He has the mandate even from me, as chairman of the Socialist Party. Take it and do the law as you think, but without violating the principle: nothing must be SHQUP, everything must be SHQIP (Albanian).

Criminals are determined by the court, I told you. Those sentenced by the court are out of question. I know that for you I am “the chief criminal”, but you can do nothing about it. You will have to live with it. And this one came to court and said, we have nothing against him, but this is how it works.

That’s how it works, for I make a living out of this, he said. The party gives me food. Of what use would I be to the party, if I don’t talk nonsense anytime the party asks me to do so? For these things have been divided within the party, some have to talk nonsense, some others have to make sense. This one has been assigned to come out and talk nonsense, for he has to be fed. So, what should we call you? A criminal? You are a happy loser.