There is no justice in the state of oligarchs
The country is drowning, the politicians and oligarchs are dining
Almost one year ago (27th of December), a group of activists from Organizata Politike entered the premises of TEG shopping mall in order to distribute leaflets denouncing the unfair and illegal sacking from work of four miners working for AlbChrome Ltd., owned by the richest oligarch in Albania — Samir Mane (also the owner of TEG). Although the activists were in their constitutional right of freedom of look expression and information, they were immediately jumped by a group of private security members, kicking and punching them simply because they had dared to express their solidarity with the miners within the imperial palace of the oligarch. After 30 minutes of beatings and threats, the state police showed up, and instead of arresting those who were being violent, they chose to arrest and jail for three days our activists Bislim Lakna, Enriko Peçuli and Frenklin Elini.
The prosecutor’s office did not bother to open a case against the violent thugs of Samir Mane; instead, they issued a number of charges against our activists, all the while questioning other activists of OP regarding the content of their Facebook statuses. Such actions worthy of the Inquisition had not appeared in Albania for a long time. The only reason for their resurfacing is our solidarity towards the miners of Bulqiza and our challenging the authority of the richest and most powerful man in Albania, what brought to the fore the essential core of our system: a handful of oligarchs headed by Samir Mane have usurped the resources and economic veins of the country, bringing under their command all the institutions of the state.
Our struggle against the oligarchy and for social justice is long and arduous. It requires bravery, consistency, discipline and solidarity. What we are faced with is not simply individuals engulfed in wealth, but also the state apparatus, the atrophied political parties and the majority of mass media financed by obscure sources. But we are not alone. We have the support of the miners, the oil refinery workers, students and every decent citizen of Albania. The day when justice will prevail in Albania is not far away, and once this will open the path for the realization of our aspirations.
Heavy rains in recent weeks have thrown the country into a state of emergency where dozens of families have lost their homes. Large parts of the country have been destroyed from torrential rivers overflowing and flooding agricultural lands. At the same time, the number of infected and death rate from Covid-19 is driving the healthcare system towards a total collapse. As if all of the above did not demonstrate the complete irresponsibility and incompetence of this government, the continual job losses and low wages are burdening the most vulnerable strata.
In this catastrophic situation, ministers of this government were recorded dining in the luxurious restaurant Salt Bae in Dubai in the company of the oligarch Samir Mane.
Samir Mane is not only responsible for exploiting the miners of Bulqiza and suffocating the trade unionist movement there, but in recent weeks the government removed the royalty interest on chromium for the next three years. The reaction of mass media close to governmental as well as “opposition” parties — remaining totally silent about the presence of Samir Mane in this dinner — constitutes further proof that the oligarchs hold in their hands the state and all political parties. In such conditions, justice will come only from the organizing of the people and constructing a progressive political vision that will prevail over the oligarchic oppression and lay the foundations for a concrete democracy.
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