By Ben Andoni
This expression is tied to a folk saying and concerns those who hold power. It means that you cannot stay in charge forever, and anyone should keep this in mind. The word candle is not mentioned because it is implied, but the metaphor is crystal clear: no ordinary candle burns endlessly without being consumed. The lesson is profound, and it has been told to rulers in many ways—but most could not care less. They imagine themselves immortal. The club of the world’s dictators has often been caught on microphones musing about eternal rule and endless life.
In our little village, Prime Minister Rama—with his usual determination, ego, and even conviction that he will rule forever, beyond 2030—throws out cynical declarations: I’ll leave only when I decide!
Opposite him stands another figure who, in his own way, has carved a place in the history of power and who, if nature allows him to go on like this for a few more years, might even surpass Enver Hoxha himself, Albania’s unmatched dictator.
Meanwhile, under their shadow, generations, individuals, and brilliant professionals have been consumed, while the incapable and the mediocre have flourished—today filling TV chronicles with corruption scandals and embarrassing tales of servility, before which Dickens’ Uriah Heep would look like a saint.
Yet these days will be wasted on endless debates over the dismissal of Erion Veliaj in the Municipal Council (the behavior of the socialist members will show their moral and logical weight), on administrative arguments, and on legal reasoning about validity. Meanwhile, Albanians continue to flee; a large mass struggles to survive; others wait in hope that Rama’s privileged entourage might throw them a job opportunity. All these hardships of Albanians barely make an impression on Rama, who has started his international excursions, lecturing “Diellëna” to the supposedly “ignorant” Westerners; just as they make no difference to Berisha, who counts people like coins at protests, prodding their dignity and their lives, which grow harder by the day.
The chronicle of these days is a miserable one: politicians oblivious to what is happening in the world, where the breath of war is felt ever closer; where Albania faces challenges of every kind; where classrooms are emptying; where prices refuse to come down; and where the arrogance of power strikes mercilessly everywhere. But for politicians, none of this matters. Rama is in power, while the parliament—with the Socialists’ 80+ mandates—is nothing more than his extension. Just as for Berisha, the unity of the Ramists is a blessing, allowing his 50+ mandates to vegetate and profit.
The only fortune left for Albanians is folklore and what nature itself provides, because at least… even their candle will one day be extinguished. The sooner they understand this, the better. But that is not the case for Albanians. For them, leaders live as long as the mountains and the highlands.
(Javanews)