The issue of national identity is taken seriously by Balkan people – including the least serious among them.
Candidates Square up in Pristina (VIDEO)
Pristina | 13 November 2009 | Lawrence Marzouk
Astrit Salihu born in 1966 in Pristina. He has a PHD in Philosophy and is married. He is the candidate for PDK.
He worked as director of the center for humanitarian studies, Gani Bobi, and deputy general director of RTK, professor in the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Pristina, and political advisor to the Prime Ministry’s Office of Hashim Thaci.
He said: “The document no.21.01.2008/08 date 31.08.2009 found no payment for the year 2008 to the municipal budget by the Park Project company that deals with parking management. So the companies which manage the municipal areas for parking pay nothing to the municipality.”
Besnik Tahiri was born in 1975 in Pristina. He holds a master’s degree in local government studies and international development.
He is married and father of one child. He is the candidate for AAK. He is the founder and the executive director of the Local Government Institute, senior political advisor to the former Prime Minister Haradinaj, and member of the AAK Presidency.
He said: “I have to say, the issue here is that the PDK-LDK coalition, at the central level, leading Kosovo, is neither functional at the country level nor at local level. And what happens here is that there is a tendency to transfer the faults from Mr Salihu to Mr Mustafa and vice-versa, while at the end of the day you are together in all this.”
Daut Maloku was born in 1947 in Marec, Pristina. He has a master’s degree in energetics and is a married, father-of-five. He is the candidate for the Green Party of Kosovo.
He led various projects at KEK and has been President of the Green Party of Kosovo since its creation.
He said: “If it [the crisis in Pristina] continues to spread and unless it is urgently addressed, it threatens to destroy the new born state of Kosovo from within. The problems of Pristina are 99% of a technical nature, they are neither poetry nor philosophy.”
Isa Mustafa was born in 1951 in the municipality of Pristina and is the current mayor of the city. He holds a PhD in economics.
He is married and is the candidate for LDK. He is professor of economics and financial management at the University of Pristina. He was appointed economic advisor to the President of Kosovo in 2006.
He said: “I've prepared the programme on this and there would be an equal share of investments for all Pristina suburbs, avoiding any discrimination by favouring one suburb over the other based on party affiliation and so forth.”
Ramadan Beqiri was born in 1968 in Medvegja. He has a master’s degree in management. He is married and a father of two daughters and a son. He is the candidate for the civic initiative KOHA.
He said: “One thing should be made clear here and that is that the drinking water should not be used for any other purpose. This also means that the future mayor among us cannot solve the issue unless we are all more aware and cautious about using water. The citizens themselves are also part of local government.”
Rexhep Osmani was born in 1950 in Sllatina e Madhe, Pristina. He has a master’s degree in philology from the University of Prishtina.
He is married and is the candidate for the ADK. He was the first Minister of Education, Science and Technology in the Government of Kosovo from 2001 to 2004. He was also Minister of Education and the main organiser of the independent education system in Albanian from 1990-1999.
He said: “I am not a localist but this is the truth. If the head of the government was from Prishtina, and didn’t have to leave it to find refreshment elsewhere, he would think differently about Prishtina and the use of water.”
Sadri Ramabaja was born in 1961 in Lummire, Pristina. He has a master’s degree in law. He is married and is a father-of-two. He is the candidate for PSD for Pristina.
He was a senior officer of political affairs in the Office of the Prime Minister from 2002 to 2005, editor and editor-in-chief at the daily newspaper “Lajm”, lecturer at the University College Gjilani in Gjilan and is currently a lecturer at a branch of the Illyria University.
He said: “Life in the capital should pulse in line with life in other European cities. In fact, we see it slipping towards the Orient.
“This is why I said that there is a need for a new approach to economic policies, investments, employment and after the citizens are fed with bread and water, then we may deal with parking issues and so on and so forth.”
Selvete Krasniqi –Ismajli was born in 1954 in Pristina. Her education was at the Faculty of Arts in the music department.
She is a married mother-of-two and is the candidate for PSK. Her work experience includes being editor of a music programme on RTK.
She said: “Many mistakes have been committed in Pristina in the past: cultural heritage has been destroyed, streets have disappeared.
When I was a child, I used to have a dream that Old Pristina was going to be preserved and a new Prishtina be built somewhere else, as it is done elsewhere in the world.”
Guneyt Ustaibo was born in 1973 in Pristina. He was educated at the Faculty of Philology, in Turkish language and Literature. He is married and a father-of-two. He is the candidate for KDTP.
He has worked as a tourist agency for KosovaTours, for the American Embassy and as general director of the agency “Effesius”.
He said: “Our motto is: Pristina – a metropolis. Closer work with citizens means re-activation of smaller community units in suburbs that would facilitate citizens` access to municipal services.”
Vegim Gashi was born in 1963 in Pristina. He is an electric engineer, is married and a father of two daughters and a son. He is the candidate for AKR and LDD for Pristina.
He works as professor of electric engineering at the University of Pristina. He also founded a private company in 1990, employing around 50 people.
He said: “The water supply issue could have been solved by now. If not entirely, at least part of it. But it seems like we are used to black and white solutions only, either we go for a total solution or we remain in position zero. We never tend to have a kind of medium solution to the problem.”
View the debate in video
26.10.2009 - Komuna e Prishtines from advmediahouse on Vimeo.
