FLASH
Shkruar nga Irena Beqiraj
The message of a protest that is not the culmination, but the genesis of a political transformation...
We are daily pushed to believe that meaningful change can only materialize once a comprehensive consensus is reached.
Even though on the 12th day of the protest, participation is still being discussed, it continues to be called a "hybrid war," the organizers are being nominated, and even the next Prime Minister, all of this is essentially done with one goal: to feed us the false idea that progress is a popularity contest.
This belief is not only empirically incorrect but also extremely dangerous, as it gives us the idea that every popular movement or protest has a single ultimate beneficiary, the organizers, who simultaneously aim to be the new government of the country.
What is happening in the squares of Albania is not just a protest: it is a strong, definitive statement that the critical threshold has been crossed. But most importantly, the protest is not just a spontaneous and uncoordinated explosion of public anger. It is a testament to the expression of a shared vision, which has brought together a multitude of people from every conceivable walk of life.
Eager students who want a better future, teachers, nurses, immigrants, workers, farmers, believers or committed secular activists, who have been standing side by side for 12 days now. For the first time in the square, Albanians are not united by narrow party affiliation or specific identity but, by a fundamental and unwavering belief that: "we will not be ruled. We cannot accept misrule. This country, this land belongs unequivocally to Albanians".
Behind every significant social movement, there will always be those who try to minimize its impact, to ignore its significance. Those who claim that the protest is merely a temporary diversion, soon to fade into obscurity; those who will claim that it lacks ultimate leadership or a clear and concise message.
While the truth is that this protest is a monumental moment. It has surpassed, and even diminished the importance of, every other news story, from those coming from the State Department to those we expected from SPAK, like the water shortage.
Well, this protest is not the culmination, but it is undoubtedly the genesis of a radical change in the political culture of this country.
Therefore, the most critical task today is to continuously cultivate the belief that ensuring accountability, transparency, good governance, or respect for property and the public good is a duty we have to each other and to our children. No one will fulfill this obligation for us. Therefore, the most welcome result of this protest is not simply the creation of new political groupings, but that it has given us a deeper and more lasting understanding of the fact that the oppressive system we face is not invincible.
It has essentially survived on our silent and persistent compliance. If we express our non-compliance systematically and strategically, every system and every autocrat that runs it, however seemingly invincible, will inevitably waver, bend, and ultimately crumble.
For those currently residing in the gilded chambers of power, this protest has a clear and irrefutable message: "regardless of who you choose to count us, Zeqine who does not know the numbers or Zaloshnje the expert in numbers who deal with your winning polls, we are not a peripheral element, easily ignored or marginalized. We are not afraid, because the clarity of our purpose has dispelled the shadows of fear. And, most importantly, we will not leave. This movement is not a temporary phenomenon but, it is a fundamental change in the landscape of Albanian public will."
Wake up! Listen! Change!
Lini një Përgjigje