
While the director of the State Technical and Industrial Inspectorate (ISHTI), Sokol Zajmi, was dealing with the reaction to "Fiks Fare" and publicly explaining his respect for former minister Belinda Balluku this Tuesday, another gas station exploded in Saranda, leaving two people injured.
A day earlier, "Fiks Fare" (in the wake of Top Channel's attack on Belinda Balluku) broadcast footage recorded with hidden cameras, where Zajmi, like other executives under Balluku's influence, was heard saying: "If you are the boss's friend, you are mine too", and "Soldiers are easily replaced, but the queen cannot be replaced".
Zajmi reacted today by accusing the show of taking his statements out of context. He explained that the word "boss" was related to personal respect for Balluku and not to the functioning of the institution he leads. "I believe that Ms. Balluku, at the end of her legal battle, will be found innocent," wrote Zajmi, just like a loyal soldier, while like a parrot of the boss, he criticized Top Channel for turning into a television that fines.
But this Tuesday, a powerful explosion at a gas station on Skanderbeg Street in Saranda injured two people. A 39-year-old man suffered burns to his body, while a 27-year-old was taken to the hospital after being shocked by the explosion. The causes of the incident are still under investigation. Security is supposed to be guaranteed and monitored by ISHTI.
The case is not unique. Just a few weeks ago, another explosion at the “Eida” gas station, in the Brryl area of Tirana, injured three employees and caused material damage. Meanwhile, in Fllaka, Durrës, a suspected gas cylinder explosion in a factory took the life of a 25-year-old man from Bangladesh and injured another person.
There is no evidence that these events have a common cause or that responsibility for them can be directly attributed to ISHTI. But the contrast raises a broader issue about the (mal)functioning of institutions under the Rama government. When their leaders describe themselves as “soldiers” and waste public energy explaining their loyalty to the “boss,” the question that remains is whether their primary focus is on their bosses or on the task they are paid to do. (Pencil)