Swoboda supports pact

Hannes
Swoboda declared for Top Channel that both parties have similar
ideologies and their cooperation will bring a more dignifying leadership
to our country.

Top Channel: Mr.Swoboda officially
invited the SMI in a coalition that was “blessed” by Stanishev,
Papandreu and Pitella. What is your opinion about Edi Rama and Ilir
Meta, and why was this unification needed?

Hannes Swoboda: Our
conviction has always been that both these parties should cooperate,
since they have similar ideas. They had the bitter problem of their
personalities in conflict, but I think that we have a good initiative
now, because the country needs an alternative. It is up to the Albanian
people to decide. We have a real alternative now from the left, and also
from the right wing. This competition is good for the country and its
development. I think that both of them have strong personalities and
both have their convictions and their story. I think that if they would
work together, this would give the country a strong leadership. I think
that this is what the country deserves for honest elections and for
starting the negotiations with the EU.

Top-Channel: Mr.
Swoboda, in the last four years, the most difficult ones, Mr.Berisha has
not ruled alone. Aren’t you afraid that rather than bringing new votes,
this coalition will remove votes from the opposition?

Swoboda: “Look.
We weren’t very happy when Mr. Meta and his party joined the government
of Mr.Berisha. On the other hand, there were conflicts and disputes
between the Socialists and the Party of Integration, so that there was
no basis for a close cooperation. I think we should look into the
future. Albania should look into the future. The democratic left should
look into the future, and therefore think of this kind of new
orientation. Look into the future, present an alternative, a democratic
left wing alternative. It is a good thing not only for the parties
concerned, but also for Albanians.

Top-Channel: Last time
I asked you about Mr.Meta’s case that “surprised many” in the EU, for
the “only case of high level corruption” in Albania, as the Commission
considered it in 2011. You said that “everyone should know the objective
truth”. What do you think today?

Swoboda: Certainly, my
opinion is the same. I think that the objective truth should be
revealed. But again, whatever happened and whatever can be shown in the
future, I don’t know if the tape has been manipulated or not. We never
can interfere from the outside in a judicial case. Things have to be
clarified and I was very happy when Mr. Meta resigned from the
government, which was supposed to make things easier for the court to
decide about the details. We need a strong fight against any kind of
corruption. But we need a fight regardless the personalities. I hope and
I am absolutely sure that the new left wing will do that fight against
corruption. Whatever happened in the past, the future in Albania has to
be open for non-corruption, for politicians who refrain from corruptive
activities, because that’s what the country needs. The country is fed
up, is tired of having politicians playing a game, fighting corruption,
but in the back doing some corruptive activities themselves. This must
be the clear message of the left wing. Stop for corruption. We go for
clean politics. It is about the future of the country and the country
needs new political movements, new political impetus; new dynamism in
order to finally get the agreement with the European Union, to start the
negotiations, because again, and it has been reported back and back,
because there was no clear government to lead the country into the EU.

Top-Channel: Here
in the European Parliament, in the heart of the EU, we know how you
treated the latest corruption cases. Why should it be different for
Albania, even for the government or the opposition?

Swoboda: “I
think it is always a permanent fight. We have situations also in other
countries. Albania is not the only country that has corruption. We have
western countries that have corruption. There is a lack of transparency.
We have a recent case in France or in other countries, even in my
country, in Austria. I think that the question is not if there exists
corruption or not, but if the politicians are ready to fight against
that kind of corruption. And that is absolutely necessary. Here we need a
clear voice and I hope that the new movement on the left will have an
unequivocal and a very clear point of view that corruption is not
acceptable. Zero tolerance for corruption.”

Top-Channel: Besides
the political calculations, should the politicians follow some values
and principles, especially when they are faced with critical elections
that require European standards for the future of the country?

Swoboda: “If
we look to different European elections, more and more citizens are fed
up with politics that is not following several values. And of course,
it’s not only about talking about it, but about practicing and
implementing it. And that is of course also true for the whole area of
the so called Western Balkans, including Albania. I think it is
absolutely clear. You need some pragmatism in economics and implemented
policies, but you need also values and people have to know what the
value of different movements and political parties are, and for me as a
social democrat, the social democratic values are represented by two
parties, the Socialists and the Socialist Movement for Integration.
Freedom, democracy, but also social issues and social equality: these
are the values they have to follow and of course, as I said before, also
fighting against corruption.

Top-Channel: If the
implementation was lacking in the recent years, when Mr.Meta has been
governing with Mr.Berisha, why do you think it will be different with
Mr. Rama?

Swoboda: “I think that we, from the Socialist
side, we look very carefully at their activity and we have a very strong
alliance with both parties. We have put a lot of pressure on both
parties no only to cooperate, but to cooperate in the sense of a value
oriented politics, and of course implementing, and not a politics of
revenge. It is not about revenge against the former government, in which
Ilir Meta has been participating. It is about looking to the future.
All our advices, as we did in Romania and other cases, were to stick to
the democratic rules of the game. Don’t play politics in the sense of
revenge, as it had happened before, but look into the future, give the
citizens of the country a chance to identify with the policies. Give
young people a job and give new infrastructure to the country. You have a
wonderful coastline, for example, where still infrastructure was
lacking. The last elements have been built by Mr. Meta, so they have to
continue this kind of policies. This is important for the country”.

Prepared by: Arta Tozaj

Top Channel