MJAFT!
MJAFT! ( Albanian for "enough!" ) is an Albanian non-governmental organization that aims to change the country's political culture and practice.
aims
MJAFT! states as its goal the activation of civil society , the strengthening of the social responsibility, transparency and control of political decisions at all levels and the improvement of the image of Albania abroad. A stable democracy and transparency of decisions are intended to promote prosperity in the country. This is to be achieved by strengthening citizen participation at all levels, promoting “ grassroots initiatives ” and voluntary work, and rehabilitating the political expression of protest .
In an interview with the US NPR in April 2005, the then spokesman Erion Veliaj described it as the most important task of the organization to overcome the political apathy of the Albanian citizens. In the 1990s after the end of the communist regime, people put their hands on their laps too soon. MJAFT! I maintain contacts abroad with similar organizations from Macedonia to Iraq, but the organization is “home-grown” and its activities cannot be compared with the “colorful revolutions” in Georgia, Serbia or Ukraine.
Actions
The organization emerged from a multi-month campaign by NGOs in 2003, which turned against poverty and unemployment, the desolate education and health system, corruption, environmental pollution, vendetta and discrimination against women. It was founded in August 2003. In the same year, it obtained the dismissal of the Albanian interior minister for slapping a journalist and increasing spending on education. In 2004 she initiated parliamentary discussion of a new media law, triggered by a court ruling against the newspaper Koha Jonë for publishing incriminating documents. She supported protests against the mistreatment of Albanian migrants in Greece , which led to the adoption of an anti-discrimination law there. In spring 2004 she was heard by the US Congress Committee on Security and Cooperation in Europe on the situation in Albania. In October 2005, she took a fatal accident involving 16 Kosovars near Fushë-Arrëz as an opportunity to call for steps to be taken to improve the Albanian road network. A poll conducted before the 2005 elections led to a legal battle with the polling firm Gallup , which accused her of misusing her name; MJAFT! rejected this allegation. In 2006 she conducted another poll on voter satisfaction with the new government. After the tsunami in 2005, she organized a team of Albanian doctors to be sent to Indonesia.
Another focus of the organization is the Unë votoj! (“I vote!”) To promote voter turnout, support women in politics and equality for the disabled.
organization
According to its own information, MJAFT! 8,000 supporting members, can mobilize 1,000 activists, making it the largest NGO in Albania. It maintains seven “clubs” in the cities of Përmet , Kukës , Shkodra , Vlora , Elbasan , Korça and Gjirokastra ; the head office is in Tirana . The management there consists of 25 employees. The Albanian writer Ismail Kadare is one of the sponsors .
MJAFT! does not see itself as a political party or opposition, but above all as a citizens' movement that wants to bring about changes in the country.
To support the organization, the Fondacioni MJAFT! (MJAFT! Foundation) founded, which is financed through donations and selling products. MJAFT! is to a large extent supported by foreign embassies and non-governmental organizations.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ NPR interview with Erion Veliaj, April 21, 2005, audio file
- ^ Nora Boustany: Albanian Advocacy Group Facing a Fight It Didn't Anticipate. In: Washington Post. July 12, 2005, accessed January 8, 2016 .
- ↑ Mjaft website (Activities 2004) ( Memento of 2 October 2007 at the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Albanien.ch: Enough! (March 23, 2003)