Press release by Defence Minister Olta Xhaçka

Published: Thursday, 02 April 2020 20:01

Dear friends,

I have heard the last two days the opposition's allegations against the ministry that I run about the purchase of some food items for the State Reserves, which are vital for the emergency situation that the country is going through. I would not have wanted to focus for a minute to clarify the next slander, but I must say that I am surprised, even saddened by the level at which the opposition of the "Babale" has degraded.

Today in the middle of a war and in the face of an enemy that is endangering us all, there are people like movie directors of "Babale" who have the luxury of dealing with low staging with the sole purpose of spreading panic and creating low reputation on a humanitarian operation, which happens 24 to 24, from the first day of the emergency, unprecedented for us and for other countries far more developed than us, which is coming to the aid of over 600,000 families and citizens in need all over Albania. The fact that these untrue allegations come at exactly this time, makes even more embarrassing this cheap attitude of these hopeless members of opposition.

I believe that this is a unique case worldwide, in an unprecedented period of global emergency, when an opposition party, which until a few years ago was in charge of the country's affairs and claims to be a governing alternative, not only refuses to shows solidarity to join us and help, but it actively seeks to sabotage by spreading panic, launching all sorts of the craziest slanders and accusations.

I believe you have heard the accusations? The prime minister has formed a coalition with the coronavirus .You have locked people inside because you are authoritarian, there is no bread, no equipment, you sent to Italy uncertified doctors and nurses m, and so on and so forth. I do not know. I honestly can't understand how they can have so much poison and wickedness within themselves as they experience as a personal loss and suffer as a political defeat the fact that to this day we have managed to keep the curve of infections low and the fact that we are assisting 600,000 families and citizens, or the fact that those 30 doctors and nurses made us feel so proud in the eyes of the whole world.

I know they're not doing anything to help. I understand that none of these gentlemen has come and bring a bag of food or medicine to an elderly. I also understand that the only doctors in this country who are not moving a finger to help, when their colleagues are facing the infection on the front line, are the political doctors of the opposition. But that is their choice and shame.

But for them to be so irresponsible and immoral as to see the victory of this war as a victory of the government and to discharge all the power of evil to sabotage the resistance to the epidemic for fear that the government will gain credits this is criminal.

We are at the forefront of the organization every day to support families and citizens in need. We are parents and have children too, and we worry about their health and ours, and we would have liked to stay safe at home, watch things on TV, and comment them on Facebook. But we are at work! We have been assigned a task and we are doing it. With much modesty that we are not doing any heroism. Together with 20,000 men and women, boys and girls engaged in this great solidarity operation, we are doing our duty so that no citizen is left without the help and support that belongs to him.
But it is superfluous that in a situation like this, in addition to take protection from COVID, you also have to face "Babals" and their friends at this level of irresponsibility and wickedness.

Now two words about the procedure. In another case, I would not have spent a moment to deal with an argument of untrue accusations that distracts us from the work we are doing. But in respect of the citizens and in respect of all those people who are working with us to make it possible that the categories in need do not lack basic food during these difficult days, in a worldwide emergency, I feel compelled to give some explanations.

As a start, I encourage the opposition not to do politics, but to refer the matter to the justice authorities as soon as possible so that the truth can be clarified as there has been the case with everything staged by the directors of "Babale".

The procedure of procurement of food of the State Reserves has been done in full compliance with the legal provisions and sub-acts that create the possibility of purchasing with expedited deadlines in order to cope with the extreme situations caused by the state of disaster.
On March 24, the Decision of the Council of Ministers no. 236 and the mechanism for social assistance to the needy was established. Meanwhile, on March 24, the same day, the DCM approved the declaration of a state of emergency. In the conditions of the declared disaster and with the establishment of the humanitarian mechanism for food aid for the categories in need, the Ministry of Defense urgently on March 25, after 24 hours, opened according to the law the procedure of purchasing these goods, exactly within 24 hours of declaring a state of disaster.

Pursuant to and in accordance with all procurement rules for such situations, on March 26 the commission opened the bids and on March 27 announced the winner. In case he forgot, I remind Lulzim Basha that it is a completely legal and well-known procedure, mandatory in emergency circumstances, used by himself, once a minister in cases of emergencies much smaller and better localized than this one, as it was the flood emergency at that time.

This was made possible the day after the declaration of the state of emergency, without waiting for weeks and months, as it is logical for these urgent procedures and it was this work without schedule and these procedures in accordance with the law that without wasting valuable time made it possible to supply uninterruptedly for the operation of relief.

I invite those who are worried about the people to take off their pajamas, get up from the sofas, leave their remote controls, Facebook and their phones and come to help us on the ground, where the need is great. We provide them with masks and gloves, because due to that urgent work within 24 hours, not by procrastination of weeks and months, but within 24 hours, as in very few countries, our military and volunteers did not miss a single day of protective measures.Imagine the lack of food, even for a day for the needy or protective measures for state officials, what wonders the opposition's "Babals" would have uttered.

I do not want to dwell on it any longer, but I guarantee the citizens that we are all on duty and despite the talk of 3-4 individuals that you know, we will not stop working for a moment. Every day, even more organized and structured, we will continue to do everything we can, to ensure that citizens in need don’t lack food and that the entire body of those who serve them won’t lack protection measures by enforcing the law in the most rigid and strictest way.

While I invite the opposition to cooperate and why not help, starting from the control, if they wish , counting, packaging and even the distribution of food aid to every family in the village or city, in every corner of Albania.

Because, when this situation passes, as it will pass, when this war is won, as we will win it, people will rightly ask: what did they do to help? And if I were in their place, I would find it very difficult to find a reason to make me feel proud of myself or of my political party.