2023, a year with the hope of inclusiveness

The year 2023 will be dominated by the need to adapt to new realities, both in areas reshaped by the crisis, but also influenced by the deeper regressive tendencies of democracy, which reaffirm the fact that 2023 will be the year towards the deepening of authoritarian tendencies and the organization of politics and economy further towards polarization and instability.

This weak expectation is related to (a) many dubious political processes accompanied by a crisis of public confidence, (b) considerable economic uncertainty, (c) more concentration of resources and public goods in the hands of a few political-economic groups, (d) more room to operate without competition and compliance with the law by public agencies.

All these and many other social and economic distortions patronized at every turn by the politicians are enough to affect the hopes for an increase in welfare, as all of us voters would wish.

The local elections of 2023 and the necessary process of reforming the opposition and the position will contrast vividly with the current political system. The impact of the pre-electoral climate will be felt throughout the first months of 2023, based on the experience we experienced with the campaign of promises in 2020 in view of the elections of April 25, 2021.

Citizens increasingly want answers to the question of which leadership is best to provide stability, growth, and innovation for them?

This rivalry will manifest itself in everything from the economy, the orientation of public funds in the function of elections, to the more massive use of technology, to vaccinations and the social protection system and to the problems with the huge expansion of appetites to buy the future, oriented by the political-economic group that currently leads the country.

Meanwhile, the dysfunctional redistribution of welfare and the undermining of the will to meritocracy and the fight against corruption is a poor advertisement for the leadership model and the opening of governance for the people and with the people.

The growing problems of the economy operating abroad, as well as the accumulation of stock of problems of the economy at home do not inspire a sense of confidence among all people and businesses, even though the leaders say that this situation is temporary.

Meanwhile, Kosovo is at particular risk to international political shocks, which affect its inherited fragile integrity, but also due to the same problems experienced in Albania’s politics and economy.

In this new year, it seems that the political cooperation initiatives and agreements between Albania and Kosovo, between Albania and Serbia and North Macedonia do not create much space for significant impact on the economy, as these initiatives have disagreements in detail.

And everyday life is exactly the detail.

Surveys and analyzes show that the economic environment of Albanians is non-competitive and, in this regard, despite all the possible political reflections, you cannot expect changes that will increase the productivity and competitiveness of the economy if we do not have valid changes even a decade ago.

Debates also arise on the lack of stability of economic and fiscal policies, the unequal application of tax rules, as well as the great shortcomings in monitoring informality and evasion. Dirty money still stubbornly infiltrates the Albanian economy. In this regard, the collective temptation to corruption by ignoring legal responsibilities, as well as the lack of meritocracy, are the main factors in the disfavor of law enforcement.

The elevated level of informality keeps the funding sources for crime money strong and increasingly difficult and costly to combat.

The pandemic has had a significant negative effect on incomes and quality of life, but now daily life is being further disrupted by inflation.

If we add to this situation the exhaustion of each of us, the citizens who have been contributing for 30 years to benefit the political-economic groups, as well as considering the current political tensions within the DP at quite elevated levels, our hopes will be affected also for the year 2023 from the falsity of leadership to the detriment of well-being.

When you analyze each member of the current leadership in the country, you can clearly understand the level to which we have fallen, but also clearly understand that this leadership cannot lead with integrity and uncorrupted will our hopes for another year. good in terms of economy and well-being.

But, in response to the dilemma of how we will be in 2023, we would have to say how we perceived 2022.

What has characterized the political environment and democracy in recent years is:

lack of trust in institutions
increasing inequality
persistent patterns of social exclusion
selfish elite
declining social movements
political polarization and
growing authoritarian tendencies.

Contemporary authoritarianism is becoming an existential test for our democratic society, but we are not the only ones. This model of authoritarianism, which does not come in the classic format, but is hidden within populism, has become threatening. Its greatest strength comes from the growing use of divisive rhetoric, which represents the great challenge for our democratic society and the capacity to respond to this politics with common and simple actions to tune citizens’ thinking and action.

Corruption remained a serious threat to democracy and the economy. He has damaged the integrity of our institutions and values. But corruption has mostly eroded trust in the state and reduced the capacity of our fragile democracy to effectively deliver and respond to people’s needs.

Reconstruction funds and those in aid of recovery from the effects of COVID-19 are already being denounced case by case as having created corruption problems.

Then?

Inclusiveness is key.

Albanian democracy needs a radical change in the culture and practice of leadership recruitment. This has nothing to do with the current political class.

The future needs to be prepared in the capacity of our society to promote the engagement of young people in politics. But the creation of political space for young people, including young women, cannot be accepted again under the tutelage of the current leadership, which is held hostage by its own past.

Young people need to reduce the barriers, including financial ones, for participation in democratic processes and institutions, just as it happens when it is necessary to stimulate the economy through tax cuts. A similar policy should be shifted as a philosophy for the inclusion of meritocracy starting with the right actions from the coming new year.

This future must be promoted by Us, the people of the current generation, by stimulating dialogue and equality between generations to ensure that the future we create reflects the interests and beliefs of future generations.