nr. 124 / 23 nëntor 2008

Obama - a new page in the American history

It’s more than ten years now that the electoral map of the USA was dominated by the red color. Only after the end of the elections of November 4, considered historical for this country, everything would over. The new “head” of the White House made the blue dominate with the votes and sustain of the red domination. The democrat senator entered the history. America registered the highest number of electors participating since the elections of 1960. Obama won, winning the battles in the key States of Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania. In his speeches Obama declared that the true power of America flows out from its ideals of democracy and freedom. “To those who want to flood the world, we say: We’ll conquer you! To those who seek after peace and safety, we say: We’ll sustain you! And, to all those who wondered if the American light is still lightning, we say: We’ve witnessed again that the true power of our nation doesn’t come from the power of weapons and the level of our richness, but from the constant power of our ideals, democracy, freedom, chance and unwavering hope.”

Obama, a page in the American history

The democrat Obama is the first Afro-American president of the United States, after decades of efforts for the equal rights of the Afro-Americans in the divided south of the country. The 47 years old, who will lead the White House after January 20, comes 50 years after the start of the Movement for Civil Rights, which ended the laws of race divisions in the southern part of the United States, laws that treated the Afro-Americans as second hand citizens. The Afro-Americans in the south of the country couldn’t exercise the right to vote until 1965, when the Congress approved the Act of the right to vote, under the pressure of the activists for civil rights. Frightening, violence and laws designed to limit the rights of the Afro-Americans, didn’t leave them vote before, though the right to vote was given them since 1870 with the 15^th amendment of the Constitution. The Act for the right of vote ended these discriminating tactics. Obama, whose father was from Kenya and the mother a white American, had previous historical achievements.

In 1990, he was the first Afro-American president of the prestigious magazine “Harvard Law Review”, which was considered the highest position in the Justice Faculty of the Harvard University. Obama is the fifth Afro-American senator in the American history, yet, today there’s no other Afro-American in the Senate.

Do Albanians feel part of the victory?

The Albanians of America who helped the democrat candidate and the campaign of the Democratic Party are bright names, honored in the country human freedom and democracy. Some of these personalities made donations and financial support for the Obama-Biden campaign, amongst those are: Harry Bajraktari, Ekrem Bardha, Ilir Zherka, Ilirjan Rusi, Dr. Sami Repishti, Nikolas Pano, Jane and Van Kristo, the actor Luan Bexheti and many other names of business. Albanians too have their place of honor, though we’d better stop here for the moment.

Obama’s challenges

The challenges have never been so great. It has never been as important as now for the new President to start the work impetuously. Because of the global crisis, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as many problems inside the country and in the world, the difficulties Barack Obama has to face are compared to the challenges of President Franklin Roosevelt in the half of the ’30s of the last century, at the ace of a great depression.

Appreciations of world leaders for the election of Obama

Like nowhere else, the world leaders rushed into congratulations for the victory of the democrat Senator. One of the first to congratulate him for the victory was the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy. He congratulated Barack Obama for what he called “a brilliant victory” of the elections in America. “While we all face grate challenges, your election increases hope in France, Europe and all over the world”, said the French President. According to him, the Americans, faithful to the values which always determined the identity of America, have vigorously expressed their trust in progress and future. These were the words that Sarkozy used to comment the election of Obama as President. While the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, congratulated Obama for the victory during the elections in the USA, saying that he hoped it would help in finding a new solution to end the financial crisis. “We should change the actual crisis we are, for what we have a new chance. We need a new agreement for a new world”, declared Barroso. He assured the Senator Obama for the support of the European Commission and his personal sustain in the progress of this commitment, to face together the many changes the countries needed. The Africans paid very much attention to these elections, because the democrat candidate, the Senator Barack Obama, son of an emigrant from Kenya, is very popular in Africa. For the foreigners, Barack Obama represents a change from the politics of President Bush, which caused so much angry about the war in Iraq and human rights.

Obama chooses the Cabinet for a different America

The new President, Barack Obama, begins to prepare for the White House. He started negotiations with important collaborators and authorities, in order to complete his cabinet. At the head of his cabinet was named Ram Emanuel. This is a known personality amongst the democrats and actually congressman of Illinois. Emanuel is expected to accept such a responsibility because of his strong attitude and as a close collaborator of Barack Obama. In the meantime, the American Media tell that the former democrat Senator asked the 48 years old, Emanuel, to be at the head of the cabinet in the White House. At the position of the Secretary of State was named Mrs. Clinton. An important position in the United States of America actually is that of the Financial Secretary, after the financial crisis in this country. This is position the democrats are supposed to give to the former Secretary, Lawrence Summers, the chief of the Federal Treasure, Pol Walker and the President of the New York Bank for federal resources, Timothy Gatener. This position in the financial sphere will be followed by various problems and challenges, after the financial crisis and the approved pack of 700 billions of dollars to overcome the crisis, means to be distributed by the new composition of power in the USA. Obama declared to have some good ideas for the people he will assign in high positions of the State, and he mentioned also that republicans will be involved in his cabinet. The American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) begun to inform the new elected President about all reports concerning the inner and foreign policy. According to “Fox News”, Obama is thinking to give the position of Defense Secretary, the actual Secretary Robert Gates, but a possible nomination for this position is Richard Dancing too. The assignment of the new positions in the American Administration will be done during the future 58 days, until the celebrations for the new President, Barack Obama, on January 20, 2009.

Challenges in the foreign policy

The efforts of the future President and his team are very active in making the right choices for the challenges of the beginning of the mandate on January. The policy experts and analysts of foreign policy say that the new President will face difficult challenges since the beginning. It is to be considered a diplomatic foresight and a prominent analysis that of the American Vice Consul in Tirana, Matthew Wuall, in an interview, one day before the elections in America, given in the broadcast “Eureka” directed by our colleague, Blerti Delija, in the “TV1 Channel” of Shkodra. He said to Albanians that America is expected to face a battle that no matter how hard it will be, it is meant to be won. The Albanians paid great attention to Mr. Wuall, who gave messages of true peace and democracy. As soon as the newly elected President Obama will take his position, he’ll face problems left by President Bush, like the financial crisis, war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the possibility for Iran to make nuclear weapons and a number of other situations that need immediate attention. The Professor of Policy Sciences in the “Rice” University, Werl Black, co-author of the book “America Split”, says that the new presidents had often to face problems left behind by their predecessors. “He will face, for instance, a situation similar to that faced by the republican President Ronald Reagan, on January 1981. He will inherit all the problems concerning the precedent administration”, he explained. Professor Black says that a problem for the future President Obama might be the great hopes he gave to his supporters.

Sokol Pepushaj

The property conflict is taking away human lives

One of the most problematic areas in Albania, where there’s property conflict, is Shën Gjin, a coast area in North Albania, where many of local authorities were arrested and the mafia of land flourished during the last 18 years. It caused real proprietors to make conflicts with those who usurped the land or made illicit buildings. The focus of our article is a conflict between the family Baxhaja and the family Merturi. The first one pretends to have regular documents of property for the land, while the family Merturi has frozen them and even built on it. On July 3rd of the current year, Sadri Baxhaja and his nephew, Rejmir Skender Baxhaja, went by their land to find a solution for the occupied property. The situation got worse while they discussed amongst them, Sadri Baxhaja got angry and knifed the citizen Luan Merturi. This was got three wounds in the belly and was cured hiding, introducing the rules of the Canon, in order to give himself the “right” to avenge. According to the Canon of Lekë Dukagjini, now ruling even over the laws, blood pays blood. Since that day, uncle and nephew are closed in, for outside there is a gun waiting for them. Now, the question is no more about property, but about their lives. Rejmir Baxhaja is a young boy, born on May 1st, 1985, now forced to live hidden, though innocent, because of this madness that takes away human lives every day. The State is completely powerless in front of this phenomenon, while an entire district in Shkodër, named “Livadet”, is composed by people living closed in.

Ndue Bacaj

A mother and her son in serious danger of violent kidnapping

In our country, as we all know, the power of the State is decreasing from time to time in ugly levels and many people, for various motives want to leave this country at any cost. Lately, the level of violence and kidnapping has increased distinctly in Albania and in our town of Shkodra. In a special way is noticed the targeting of business of licensed exchanging. The latest case was that of the physical violence against the exchange officer. Even the exchange officer Luan Velcani is still being receiving threats of failure and penalty. The situation becomes more serious when anonymous voices menaced to kidnap his wife, Raimonda Velcani and their son, Elvis Velcani. Although the opinion condemns this ugly phenomenon, this family remains under terrible threat and pressure, living their life with fear and hiding whenever they can. But, how long and how can one live like this?!

Fatime Kulli

The crime, a serious danger

The organized crime: weapon, drugs and other trafficking have taken too much power, so that the international countries are pressuring every day more on politics, which might be supporting them. Confident sources from the Anticrime say that during the first ten months of this year there have been over 30 mafia commissioned murders. The target of the organized mafia have often been the officers of Anticrime, who are spied and then mafia puts them on the target to be eliminated, physically, as a sign of revenge, or in order to increase its authority and intimidate others, so that they can go on easily. This happened to the ex-dependent of the Study Center Against Terrorism and the Organized Crime, Ridvan Hoxhaj, born on February 9, 1979. Hoxhaj, an investigating officer, discovered the criminal activity of two groups involved in weapon trafficking from Kosovo to Albania, while on May of the current year, found out and reported a criminal group in Durrës, which was involved in organizing and delivery of drugs coming from Turkey, then part of it was sold in Albania and the rest was exported to Italy. Exponents of mafia appear to be very powerful. They come to know every thing and are immune to the law. The Minister of Justice, Enkelejd Alibeaj accused prosecutors and judges to have links with mafia or to be corrupted, and although many of them are being prosecuted, even this battle of the Minister seems to be lost, for many of them continue their work normally, extending processes and hoping in a soon change of the Minister himself. The officer Hoxhaj had thus to face the sophistication of mafia, now in the position of the victim. He received menacing phone calls until the moment he becomes a target to be killed by the criminals. It was October 18, of the current year, at about 13.00, when he was driving his car from Tirana to Durrës, and in Vora he was shot. He drove the car as a crazy and could escape the bullets. Yet, it has been his last day of work, for the criminals have now given him a clear message. Now he is hidden. The organized crime could shoot dead on the 25 years old Saimir Balla, from the village Arapaj of Durrës, on November 14, at the place called “Flower Shop”, the 4^th district, right at the center of Durrës. The crime was made at 12.16 am. What about the criminal?! He, as always, left the crime scene easily.

Arben Cubaj