Opinion from Muriel
There are words that in the mouth of the ordinary person are just words. But when spoken by those in power, they take on a different weight.
"Besa" is one of them.
In Albanian life, the oath has never been an ornament. It has been a given word, and a given word has been worth more than any letter. Therefore, when someone “breaks the oath”, this remains one of the most serious insults that our language knows. Because the oath is not related to forgiveness. It is related to honor.
It is for this reason that when Edi Rama, after 13 years in power, talks about "Besa", people don't hear it as poetry. They hear it as proof. And proof doesn't come with pretty words.
In politics, promises are like oaths. But an oath is not valid the day it is said. It is valid in the days that follow. It is measured by what actually happens.
What have Albanians seen in these 13 years? They have seen queues in hospitals, services that are delayed, people who flee, young people who see no future and a country that often seems distant. They have also seen many words. But words, when separated from deeds, lose their weight.
The people have said it themselves: they don't ask you what you did there, but what you brought home. It's the same in politics. No one asks anymore what was promised at the beginning. The question is what was brought in the end.
The wolf changes its coat, but it never forgets its habit. You can change the slogan, the color of the campaign, and the tone of voice. But the habit of power does not change so easily. If you have governed for 13 years with the same mindset, with the same surroundings, and with the same way of behaving towards the citizen, you will not be saved by a big word at the end.
That's why "Besa" in the mouth of power doesn't always sound like an honor. Sometimes it sounds like a delay.
"Empathy" is also a beautiful word. But empathy is not measured by a soft voice on television. It is measured by how the government listens to people, how it treats critics, how it deals with those who complain, and how it responds when it makes mistakes.
An empty sack no longer stands. You can fill a sack with big words, but if there is no justice, care, and honest work inside, it will fall as soon as everyday life touches it.
And everyday life in Albania is not a speech. It is a hospital, an office, a court, a street, work, payments, waiting.
Therefore, the question is not whether “Besa” is a beautiful word. It is. The question is why the public should trust today a government that has had 13 years to show its worth, and that still seeks to rely on one of the most sacred words in the Albanian language.
The "Renaissance" came with the promise of great change. Today, many people see it as a period where words became bigger, but faith became smaller.
And when trust falls, it can no longer be raised with just one word.
Faith is not inherited. It is not proclaimed. It is not bought with speeches.
It is won.
And when it's lost for too long, people don't bring it back with applause.
