There are people who win battles. There are people who lose battles. There is another category. Those who, after losing the battle, change their vocabulary and declare victory.

This is why the government assures us today that the flamingos had victory in their pocket from day one. It is a strange Benevrekist logic. If victory was certain, why did it take weeks of attacks, ridicule and accusations? A man who sleeps peacefully does not get up at night to check the doors.

Protesters are not treated as citizens. They are treated as species. One day crows. One day ravens. One day hyenas. One day tools of dark interests. Typically, when power can no longer convince people, it begins to zoologize them. This is the language of tired regimes.

Then came the European Parliament. Instead of reflecting, the red-faced man explained to us that the resolution had nothing to do with what was being protested. That Zvërnec was not Zvërnec. That Vjosa-Narta was not what we thought it was. That the map had to be read differently.

In Albania we have seen many things. We have seen parties, coalitions and slogans change. But we have rarely seen geography change. Precisely when arguments weaken, maps move.

Then the next enemy was found. The protest was no longer a protest. It was part of a larger conspiracy. A village protecting its lagoon suddenly became a node of global politics. This is the tragedy of prolonged power. It stops listening to the people and starts listening only to its own echo.

Now, at the height of this story, something even more significant happened. While citizens are protesting in the streets and the European Parliament is demanding a moratorium on protected areas, the government has decided to appoint a new army of deputy ministers for communication. Nineteen. A number that would be impressive even for a marketing corporation.

It is a well-known reflex of long-standing powers. When reality becomes unpleasant, they do not change reality. They increase communication. When people are no longer convinced by propaganda, they do not review policies. They increase the number of propagandists.

But history has an old problem with this method. Nineteen deputy ministers can produce more statements. They can produce more videos. They can produce more excuses. But they can't produce more trust. Trust is the only product that isn't manufactured by government decision.

Flamingos do not listen to the nonsense of power. They only listen to water. Because water has a rare quality. It does not lie. Crows remain crows, hyenas remain hyenas, flamingos remain flamingos and the lagoon remains a lagoon. The only thing that constantly changes is the narrative of power. Precisely, this is the strongest sign of who is losing the battle.