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OP-ED

Dedicated to those who wonder about February 11

Politiko 2023-02-10 18:24:30
Dedicated to those who wonder about February 11

Alfred Lela

The Russification of Albania, the danger from Vladimir Putin's geopolitical hemisphere, is not so much the influence of hard or soft power as it is a general silencing of consciousness, anesthesia over thought itself. And responsiveness, which makes people feel and appear apathetic and disinterested. Sometimes even annoyed and nervous by those who think differently, speak differently, and act differently.

Someone calls it the dictatorship of relativization, another penetration of power, others low community awareness. However, I think this state of society is the most filo-Russian thing. It is the general numbness of that type of society, which even chews on the invasion of Ukraine as a daily chronicle, like the derailment of a train on the St. Petersburg-Moscow line. Or the opposition leader, whom Putin pursues, imprisons, or poisons, it sees only as an accessory and not as a fact that gives free societies substance or explains its absence. Elements such as Alexey Navalny, Pusssy Riot, Anna Politkovskaya, and so on are only distractions that make the Kremlin's golden dome of political and financial power shine even brighter in their darkness. So they're not there as one side of the spectrum but as a rudiment that the free societies of the West sprinkle on Russia. Some non-material provocations not allowed to turn into anything more than that.

The position that the society trained by those in power has towards these elements is some sort of democratic skirmish: you can exist, but with our permission. You see this awareness taking place in Albania as well. In some media-political-social circles, the reaction to the opposition's positions and recently to the February 11 protest is a kind of 'Russian shock'. Suppose we put social apathy aside and deal with the wonder of those who share the media debates with the public, teaching the public precisely in apathy. In that case, we will find that these 'Russians' of today are 'Danes' of the past.

But what is the February 11 protest in a synopsis? It is the opposition's reaction to the publication of stubborn facts in the American Department of Justice indictment, where Prime Minister Rama and people close to him figure as main characters, as saboteurs of the internal political process. As it turns out, one of the heads of the FBI was encouraged and paid to investigate Rama's political opponent. Everyone can ask: were there the same methods used on the non-grata for the president of the DP, Sali Berisha? Americans in their justice system convict or acquit defendants based on evidence that is within or beyond 'reasonable doubt.' Can we reasonably doubt that the Democratic Party has been hit hard by removing the platform of open competition from under its feet?

Should the Democratic Party stand up and address this injustice? Of course. Not only for the case itself but also for the relationship that this case builds with the 'causes' that the previous opposition presented to call the people to the square and protest against the government. Take, for example, the protest of January 21, 2011. "The opposition people" were called in front of the Prime Minister's office, in the words of Rama, "even to overcome the opposition," that is, to do violence for a video where two ministers of the government of the time appeared. Were they talking about a possible bribe of 700 thousand euros? Should the people protest if its high officials are corrupted with 700 thousand euros? Of course. Accepting this standard, what should people do today?  

Those surprised by the February 11 protest have a problem with the opposition, understandably. But the biggest problem they have is with themselves. Their clumsiness may come from proximity to power, a long tradition of submission, or a matter of character. In all cases, they are a ready troop for the Russification of Albania. A country that permits the opposition...just to be around.    

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