Read these lines/ Is Fatmir Xhafaj, the "Svejk soldier" of Veliaj?

2024-05-14 10:09:00, Politikë CNA

Read these lines/ Is Fatmir Xhafaj, the "Svejk soldier" of Veliaj?

Photomontage - Fatmir Xhafaj and Jozef Shvejk

These lines about Shveik below, were constructed by "The Economist", shortly after the outbreak of Russia's war with Ukraine, as a recommendation for Russian soldiers to read the book and understand where they were going.

In fact, these lines show us a painful Albanian reality of these weeks.

Jozef Shvejk proudly says to his superior officer: " Mr. Colonel, I report to you with devotion, because I am an idiot! ” He was once kicked out of the Austro-Hungarian army for being stupid. Since then he made a living in Prague by selling stolen dogs.

If we were to look at politics, Fatmir Xhafaj would be the most famous Shvejku in politics at the moment.

Fatmir Xhafaj

For example, Shvejku went before the colonel, Fatmir Xhafaj reports before Veliaj, the colonel knows him. There is no fault or perhaps he confuses Archduke Ferdinand as Shvejk.

When he heard the news of Franz Ferdinand's murder, Švejku at first confused the archduke with another Ferdinand who was cleaning the streets from dog excrement. In the war that followed, Shvejku was again called under arms to serve the empire.

"The Fatal Adventures of the Good Soldier Schweik during the World War" (better known as "The Good Soldier Schweik") describes the journey of the self-proclaimed fool to the front of the war.

Jozef Shvejk

Shvejk is a stupid devil who moves here and there obeying different masters. He blindly follows the orders given to him. He is told to take care of every wish of the lieutenant's wife, and Shvejku does whatever the latter wants, even sleeps with her.

When ordered to find the lieutenant a dog, he steals it from a colonel. To punish him, the latter sent the entire battalion to the front where Shvejku was a part.

Once excluded from the war, while Xhafaj was removed as a minister, not because he has the descriptions of Shvejk, but because of his brother, who was convicted in Italy for criminal activity.

Hasn't MP Xhafaj served Rama, the Americans and now Velia? At first with the Americans for Justice Reform, now against the Americans wanting to bring SPAK under control. They want reform, they did reform, they want anti-reform, they did anti-reform in the name of successful reform.

Fatmir Xhafaj's anti-American tracts
May 12, 18:01
Fatmir Xhafaj, the "Ad Hoc" reformer against SPAK
February 1, 12:23
Fatmir Xhafaj, the father of the reform or the mother who did not know what she was sowing
January 27, 10:05

However, Shvejku manages to jump off the train that was traveling on the Eastern Front in the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia.

He continues to walk, but his own people mistake him for a Russian deserter, and he barely escapes the firing squad. He rejoins the battalion, and the novel ends before Shvejku experiences the fighting at the front.

Fatmir Xhafaj

But if that were correct, Shvejku would be just an idiot. In fact he is a master of deception , a little man who keeps himself out of the regime's war simply by following orders. Hashek's own life was almost as chaotic as his character's.

Fatmir Xhafaj is not just an idiot, everything he does has a definite purpose and a well-thought-out finale. Only that in this last case it is turning into a "Shvejk" of Erion Veliaj./ CNA