“God protect us”: Former interior minister on SHISH case — “I don’t understand how we survived as a state”

After the recent affair with the State Intelligence Service, in which its head Vlora Hyseni is suspected of handing over secret information to businessman Ergys Agasi — arrested in the “AKSHI” case — former interior minister Sander Lleshi sees the solution in political will, but with hope in God. Speaking on Off the Record with Andrea Danglli on A2 CNN, he recalled the history of Albanians’ survival at the hands of Albanians, from 1913 to 1997.

“There is always a solution if there is will. There’s a saying by Fishta: ‘God will keep Albania for the sake of Albanians.’ We have such a relationship with God that he keeps us forever, and surprisingly he has kept us forever even when we worked against it. Remember 1913, with those movements of Albanians fighting against its independence. Remember ’97. And surprisingly we’ve made it. I can’t rationally explain this survival of ours — rationally, we would have lost by now. God keeps us even when we work badly; God has kept us. And I believe God will keep Albania even for the sake of Albanians who work against it,” the former minister said on Off the Record with Andrea Danglli on A2 CNN.

According to Lleshi, what must change in our country is the ease with which public posts are handed to unproven people — something that costs the state dearly.

“The ease with which we treat issues and the ease with which we hand public posts to completely unknown, unproven hands must change — this ease costs us a lot. It cannot be allowed to falter. When you come to a public post you must pledge something, which is your past. You must have a proven past, where your collateral damage is manageable. When you go high, the damage is catastrophic. There must be no risk there — with a minister, a deputy, the heads of major agencies, risk must be zero. Otherwise it’s no longer manageable. An employee who sees the catastrophic cracks of his boss feels bad, and I believe subordinates imitate their boss and behave like him. If the boss is demanding and correct, so are they all.”