Prime Minister Edi Rama, during a press conference with journalists from European Union countries, also addressed the protests taking place in Tirana and several other Albanian cities regarding the Zvërnec project. He stated that the situation becomes entertaining through the use of memes, the participation of young people who find it appealing to be there, and other activities organized around the demonstrations.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the Zvërnec project, as a vision, was presented two years ago, adding that facts are often denied while falsehoods can be more appealing to people.
“I find it amusing when people want to insult anyone associated with me, even in the literal sense. Nevertheless, the use of memes and everything else can be entertaining in a positive way. And of course, there are many young people who think it is nice to be there. As long as it remains that way, it is fine, because eventually there will be a confrontation with reality, and everyone will draw lessons from it.
We, too, will learn our lessons. We need to improve our approach to education, transparency, and similar issues.
The problem with transparency, however, is that it does not work when there is no attention. You may be surprised, but the Zvërnec project, as a vision and in visual form, was presented two years ago by an architect representing the investors before the project team expanded and continued its work. At that time, he published some sketches on his Twitter account. Those sketches never reached us, but they were presented during a television interview with a very large audience. There was no reaction from anyone saying, ‘Do not touch that area.’ This is what I mentioned earlier, and it is not directed at you,” Rama said.
When asked by a journalist about claims that organizations involved in the protests refuse to engage in dialogue, Rama argued that they avoid discussions because facts and truth are, in his view, “boring.” According to him, some people participating in the protests face intimidation and are afraid to speak publicly.
“Facts are boring, truth is boring, while lies are attractive and appealing. You cannot fight that. Why do they say, ‘We do not want to talk’? Because they do not want to confront the facts. They do not want the dream and the feeling that they are fighting for the country to be shattered by facts.
When I speak about them, I mean the people. I do not know of any organization that collectively says, ‘We do not want to talk.’ What is interesting is that even people who want to speak are afraid because they are threatened. There is a dimension of intimidation within the protests. In fact, in every protest, people are threatened, even physically: ‘Do not even dare go and speak.’
It reminds me of the old trade unions, where anyone who stepped out of line faced consequences.
Patience! I have learned patience—something I never had before, but I have learned it. Therefore, I remain patient,” he concluded.
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