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On May 5 of the Martyrs of the Fatherland/ The cult of honoring the Martyrs and the president of the Republic who is not!

2024-05-05 12:39:00, Opinione Luan Rama

On May 5 of the Martyrs of the Fatherland/ The cult of honoring the Martyrs and

Bajram Begaj

Although a non-delegable protocol obligation stemming from the constitutional attributes as Head of State, the President of the Republic was absent today from the state ceremony (an annual ritual that takes place every May 5 at the cemetery of the Martyrs of the Fatherland), in commemoration and honoring fallen for freedom.

There are some dates that mark a special relationship of the state, the country and the people with history (May 5 is one of them, obviously), whose honoring is not a matter of desire or personal will, whether you choose to participate or not.

The high state authorities, at least, have a formal obligation from the State Protocol to be present at the ceremonies related to these dates, without saying that they undoubtedly have a state and legal obligation as well.

In this context, the President of the Republic has an obligation over all others.

He is not allowed to be absent, just as he is not allowed to delegate the authority of representation in ceremonies of this type.

These are codes, they are sacred rules because they prove to us the state, they prove to us the presence, seriousness and solemnity carried by its representatives.

Today, in the procession of high representatives of the state who laid wreaths near the "Mother Albania" monument, the President of the Republic was absent. After the wreath in his name held by two representatives of the state ceremonial troupe, the place was empty. He was not.

There is still no official notification from the State Protocol or from the President's Institution to "justify" his absence at the ceremony honoring the Martyrs of the Motherland, although in fact, except for the impossibility of some serious health condition, no other reason I excuse my absence.

One can rightly say that maybe there was some important state motive or reason that made his physical presence impossible.

I do not rule out this possibility, and I would even like it to be so. However, an official announcement should be made as to why the President of the Republic was absent today from the May 5 state ceremony, as transparency is not only an ethical obligation, but also a mandatory standard when it comes to the activities of the President of the State.

May 5 is a very special date in the calendar of events of our state and national history. Through it, the homeland weighs the longing for the fallen. The memory of them and the cult of honoring the blood shed for freedom are evidence of our consciousness. They are a sign of citizenship and nobility for a people.

Absence in such cases is an injury, an insult. No apology is required for it.

If the President of the Republic does not know this, ignorance is not an excuse./ CNA