This week I met Erion Veliaj, the Mayor of Tirana. I had heard of him before I came here, mainly in the capacity of a political and anti-corruption activist. Having watched several documentaries and clips of him vociferously protesting against various social issues in Albania, I must say I was a little surprised when I learned that he had joined the Socialist Party and become Mayor.
I am naturally mistrusting of politicial celebrities after several years of working in political PR, and I consider myself rather shrewd to the bewitching powers of a particularly savvy publicity campaign. I wasn’t sure what I would make of Mr Veliaj, but as a journalist, and also as a foreigner here, it is my job to approach everything with an open mind.
As a person and during our interview I found him disarmingly pleasant and he is articulate and engaging, as well as having a good sense of humour. He is also well rehearsed in how to speak to journalists and the media, and this shows not only in his responses but in the way that he presents himself on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Every word is carefully curated and he is an expert on guidng the conversation where he wants it to go- this is nothing new in politics.
There is no doubt that he has crafted an excellent image for himself, and his popularity with younger voters and members of the public is due in part to this, but I wanted to find out what lay beneath. I wanted to understand how someone who was so loudly and proudly against many shortcomings of democracy ended up becoming such a part of it. Did he sell out? Or did he join forces with them to give more power to his ideas and drivers for change? I left the interiew without having been able to really push these questions as it was not something he wanted to discuss in detail. During his brief answer he assured me that it is the latter- through combining efforts, he was able to bring his proactive approach and his desire to better the city to the forefront of the political scene.
When I posted the interview on my blog, I was inundated with abuse from various commentators. Called a liar, a fake, and a cog in the propaganda machine- I was forced to defend myself against these slurs. It seems that as an outsider, treading the path of political opinions is a treacherous journey and it is one that I indended to stay away from to a certain extent. I am a foreigner, a guest, and a journalist and as such I only have my instincts, opinions, and impressions to go on.
If I had written that I loved him, I would have received abuse and accusations of being paid by someone, if I had written that I hated him, I would have recieved the same. My view was to go and write what I saw and heard, which is what I did.
I am no one’s puppet and I am certainly not the type to be bought or manipulated by anyone with an agenda.
I have numerous opinions about current affairs and social issues in Albania, but I am very careful which ones I choose to address in public. This is not because I am scared, but because whichever side of the fence I choose to sit on, I am going to be accused of being on the payroll or being a media pawn of one or another political party.
The truth of the matter is that my opinion of Mr Veliaj is that based on what he said and what I know after 3 months of being here, I believe that the work he is doing is beneficial and important to the growth and development of a city that has a huge potential. Maybe I am wrong, but this is my opinion based on the hour we spent together.
Allegations of corruption and other nefarious dealings were not the subjects of my interview and were not things I could ask him, or pass comment on without having years of background on it. When the opportunity for the interview came up, I scrawled a list of questions and I went- my writing was the result of what he said- it is up to you, the reader to make your own interpretations of him, not me.
I write to highlight the positive aspects of Albania, Tirana and its people and as such. I have seen positive changes that the mayor has made and even some of his critics have said “well things have improved over the last few years”. When I see someone else who is completely and utterly squeaky clean, doing positive things for Tirana, then I will consider having a different opinion, but I don’t so I won’t.
Whether I am wrong or not, this is my view and I have every right to state it based on my experience and the answers he gave me. I am not a detective, nor am I a policewoman, ergo, I reserve the right to form the opinion I feel is deserved, based on what I heard or saw. Maybe my view will change with time, maybe it wont but my interview should be taken on face value.
Whichever tact I take, someone is going to have a problem or an issue with it and for that reason, I am unashamedly and unapologetically myself. One thing I am not, however, is a pawn of any agenda or propaganda machine.
There is something I cannot stand and that is those that complain yet do not offer a solution, suggestion or alternative- they say that empty vessels make the most noise, and I think in this case, it is true.
Whether Mr Veliaj is squeaky clean or not, isn’t my job to decide unless I decide to focus on politics in my Albanian writings- and even then I am limited. I am not judge and jury, nor are you, but as a journalist, I am entitled to interview who I like and come to conclusions based on that interview. If these do not fit in with someones personal opinion then quite simply put, it is not my problem.
In my humble view, the Mayor of Tirana is doing things that are positive, important, and that are driving change and so far, I have not seen anyone come up with any other solutions or ideas. Yes you are right, I don’t know his full history and as I said, I was well aware he controlled the interview and avoided questions he didn’t like but my interview remains based on face value alone.
I cannot help but think that my critic’s lives would be a lot more fulfilling if they stopped throwing stupid allegations around, and instead did something positive with their day.
You can find the interview here.
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