Guest post by Karl Gruda
Europes backyard, the powder keg. Those people over there. Turquiee Europeenne.
The periodic feel-good report is here and it says what they always say. You’re a little better but not quite there yet! Just a little more work. Almost there! Any time now folks, any time…
Teetering on the brink of true European integration, yet perpetually held back by internal strife and external pressures. Albania, riddled with intricate and complex political webs, have long been subject to European influence, but is this involvement really leading to progress? Albania, remains trapped under the weight of its post-communist legacy. As the struggle for change continues, a new generation of Albanians, both at home and abroad, are grappling with the challenges of their nation’s future, determined to break free from the cycle of stagnation and corruption.
Whenever something happens, Europe usually sends some representative that is supposed to intermediate between the local balkan gangsters. The reality of the matter is that Mother is just sending big brother to keep us quiet, lest we break the vase or accidentally set the house on fire, again. All the while she deals with the major geopolitical matters that concern Europe, her real problems.
Nothing really changes in Albania. It’s not Europes fault. Europe has the right to take care of its interests first. I don’t blame them. Nothing changes because it’s not supposed to change. It’s a trick! Tiranas elite doesn’t really want to join EU, they just want to keep getting richer and richer. Albania boasts one of the wealthiest parliaments in Europe by cumulative member net worth, if not the wealthiest. I blame us, I blame me for allowing this. I blame my father and his generation for not standing up to the corrupt barbarians that run our state.
The reality of the matter is that Albania is still under the same power structures since 1945. It is still ruled by the same old communist elite that in 1990 went underground but not before installing their most trusted pawns in key positions. The power that the communist elite held back then by the power of the security apparatus, they still hold, through their clans and cliques, they have now become avid capitalists.
This is how I often feel, like a Jester who is reminded that Tirana has fallen, another scandal another year where 1.2 Billion Euros go missing… And to whom has it fallen to, not the Muscovites but arguably worse. At least the Muscovites had some taste! What we have is a bunch of opportunist katunars (literally) that found themselves in the right place at the right time. Insult to injury.
This sentiment resonates with many compatriots I encounter. I recently spoke with a friend who has found her own path to change. Pursuing her education in London, she eagerly awaits the day she gains British citizenship, allowing her to delve into politics and tell the truth feeling a bit more secure that a British citizen would be a bit further from the reach of the armed enforcers that hold in check whoever dares threaten the status quo.
Determined to confront the blatant lies and corruption that have marred our nation, she embodies a new generation of Albanians ready to reclaim their birthright. As more and more like her rise to the challenge, the tides of change will sweep through Albania.
We know the supposed attempts to join the EU are lies. We will not play by their rules and we will break their toys. Tiranas elite will not inherit our lot.
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