"Corruption cannot be relativized in society." This is what former socialist minister Ermelinda Meksi has claimed, joining the reactions after recent statements on corruption, targeting both Marta Kos and Prime Minister Edi Rama. In a post on 'Facebook', Meksi emphasizes that both attempt to relativize the phenomenon of corruption by shifting responsibility from politics to Albanian society, an approach that according to her is problematic and "hurts" because it avoids the essence of the issue.

According to Meksi, Marta Kos's statement was not an attack on Albanians, but a reference to a well-known phenomenon in corruption studies: laws are not enough if social norms tolerate the violation. "She did not speak about a specific people, but about a phenomenon. This is precisely why this statement 'hurts', because it shifts the focus from 'those above' to 'us as a society'," Meksi says.

Meanwhile, Edi Rama's reaction at the "MatchMaker Albania" event, according to Meksi, tends to relativize the problem: when the government says "look at yourself", the essence of corruption is avoided, since even if others are corrupt, this does not justify our phenomenon. The former minister also criticizes the influence of political fandom, where corruption is only punished when it is the opponent's, emphasizing that without honest reflection and the same standard towards corruption, any debate remains shallow.

Meksi warns that this approach harms the building of functional institutions and hinders the path towards European integration, at a time when the enlargement process requires more credibility and not justifications.

REACTION
Marta Kos's statement on corruption was not an attack on Albanians, but a well-known thesis in corruption studies that laws are not enough if social norms tolerate violation.
She did not speak about a specific people, but about a phenomenon. And this is precisely why this statement "hurts" because it shifts the focus from "those above" to "us as a society."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rama's reaction today on MatchMaker Albania attempts to relativize the problem.
If we tell others: "look at yourself", this avoids the essence of the phenomenon, because even if others are corrupt, this does not undo ours.
Meanwhile, political fandom makes things even worse, when corruption is only punished when it belongs to the opponent.
So, regarding the attitude towards the phenomenon of corruption, it is observed that: the government tends to relativize it, the opposition uses it, while the public generally aligns itself according to beliefs, not principles.
Without honest reflection and a common standard for dealing with corruption, any debate remains shallow. And this is not just a moral issue, but one with concrete consequences.
This hinders the building of functional institutions and damages the path towards European integration, precisely at a moment when the enlargement process requires more credibility, not more justifications.