By Lutfi Dervishi
In a country where the majority decision-making process resembles a carnival that defies logic, the latest episode where guards prevent opposition MPs from entering the Assembly hall raises the question: Are we dealing with high-level satire or just a stage Kafkaesque?
The High Commission of Ethics of the Assembly decided by majority vote to expel the MPs who were prevented from being present in the Parliament hall.
A deputy of the majority, who for the Bible has order and punctuality, said that: the exception came because when the absences were taken, the deputies in question were outside the Assembly hall.
So they were absent from the most important session, the one on the first Monday of the month when the problems of the electorate are discussed.
But the other members of the commission did not treat the matter as a purely technical action. Their reasoning resembles the difficult exercises of political gymnastics, where the lesson is how to leap from logic to absurdity.
The expulsion of opposition MPs, says the High Ethics Commission, is not a punitive measure, but a humane attempt to save the “Temple of Democracy” from possible destruction and public embarrassment. Man lives for honor. The country has a Parliament!
Majority MPs, known for their unwavering commitment to ethics, rules and law, assure the local public and international partners that their decision is the embodiment of deep reflection and unwavering respect for parliamentarism.
Anyone who questions the majesty of this decision is simply a wretch who hasn’t plumbed the depths of their “terribly” thought process.
Now, let’s consider the opposite of what everyone saw live on 15 TV channels. Let’s think for a moment the unthinkable:
The guards go crazy and allow the opposition MPs to enter the sacred grounds of the Assembly – in the plenary session. Horror!
MPs with names that sound like characters from a Shakespearean tragedy – Bardhi, Noka and co – would cause chaos in the “Temple of Democracy”.
Noise, smoke, overturned chairs and, God forbid, calls against the government! Just this thought has sent shivers not only to the High Commission of Ethics, which is believed to be the only bastion left in the defense of parliamentarism.
In this hypothetical scenario mixed with notes of tragicomedy that has appeared to us, the High Commission of Ethics, as a noble defender of parliamentary virtue, would be forced by the high office to suspend the recidivist opposition criminals for 60 days/nights complete.
This is what the new regulation approved with complete unanimity by the majority deputies says. Imagine the anguish on the faces of the opposition left without a job, without a salary and, more tragically, without the beloved floor of the Assembly for 2 months, for eight weeks, or 60 days, or 1440 hours.
It’s almost Shakespearean – a tragedy-comedy in many acts.
However, the benevolent intervention of the guards came to the aid of the opposition MP. Thanks to this ethical, legal, manly, if you like, animalistic intervention of the guards, now the opposition MPs will not enjoy the parliamentary privileges only for 10 days and not for 60.
Shouldn’t the opposition, instead of threatening a lawsuit, thank the Guard?
The guards themselves, questioned by the High Ethics Commission, claim that their action was instinctive – a human desire not to separate the opposition MPs from their supporters who were protesting just a few meters away.
If the opposition MPs were allowed inside, the crowd of protesters would be left without a head. “But we as soldiers know that more dangerous than the army of an enemy larger in number, more frightening than an earthquake or a pandemic is facing a crowd that has no head. Facing the crowd is fatal. Today more than ever we need stability and not fatality.”
The guards not only saved the deputies from punishment, but also did the work of the order police. They kept calm.
By keeping MPs connected to their electorate, no untoward incident occurred that would damage our reputation as a NATO member country and a veteran candidate for EU membership.
For this reason, the guards should be rewarded and the opposition MPs should come to their senses and not ask to enter the Assembly hall. There are many squares in Albania where they can hold meetings with themselves or with people – they can choose the audience themselves. It is important for the opposition to understand that the Guard acts only in the interest of democracy and parliamentarism.
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In this grand spectacle of political theater, where absurdity reigns and reason takes last place, we cannot help but wonder if we are witnessing a tragicomedy or madness. And as we have done for decades, even in this case we will choose the lesser evil.
