Former secretary for local government in the DP during Basha's time, Roland Bejko has stated that the majority aims to reduce the number of municipalities in our country and this, according to him, is clearly shown by the last meeting of Prime Minister Edi Rama with mayors.
According to Bejko, this meeting was a strategy of Rama to use it to reduce the number of municipalities, telling them that they have gone bankrupt and can not provide income and consequently will go to their disappearance, to have a total of about 34 municipality.
"I read the meeting that Rama had with the mayors as a message that Rama has made the decision. It made them bankrupt enough to get rid of these and reduce them, with the idea that they do not work because they do not provide income. Rama says that they have lost the purpose that they were created that local government was created for self-government. 4 years were enough to orient him. Tells you the debts you have accumulated, show Rama's intention to take power from the local government, not to all municipalities. Rama wants you to disappear. The solution will make the situation even worse " , said Bejko on Report tv.
Bejko also focused on the problems of territorial reform, where according to him it failed because the local government is totally controlled by the central government, the services of citizens have gone further. According to him, the map itself should not be reviewed, but also all the competencies that the local government has.
"Have they fulfilled their role and mission as political representatives of the citizens?" Most do not. Citizens were far from in power. Local democracy, this is the mistake of how territorial reform was established. Emphasis was placed on service delivery. Local democracy failed. Experts SP and SMI mastered the fact to create efficiency local government with economic development, to make fiscal decentralization. Local government is controlled. The last meeting. How Rama addressed the mayors makes no sense, that they are separate powers. He raises his voice with all his heart as if he has employees, because he has them under his power. It is necessary to rewrite not just the map, it is necessary to rewrite the local government itself with all the competencies that belong to it, with the wide range of services, the political competencies that the municipal council should have.said Bejko.