Tirana Weekly Report - The Rise and Fall of a Sexual

UNCLAS TIRANA 000168 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/SCE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KCRM AL SUBJECT: Tirana Weekly Report - The Rise and Fall of a Sexual Predator ¶1. As the last sexual scandal involving the Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Sports Ylli Pango was blasted all over Albanian newspapers in the past week, one can't help but wonder about the ethics of Albanian politics. Of course, "it is not new in any way, shape, or form", people say - rumors of Pango's sexually predatory behavior had been well known for years. Yet, everyone was shocked at the images and voice recorded by a hidden camera, which showed clearly the sexual advances of the minister to a young girl looking for work in the institution he directed. After 18 years of democratic transition, the "sexual" life of a political figure becomes such a big issue, regardless of the fact that other incidents of this kind have involved political figures or leaders of the Socialist Party as well. As it seems, sexual harassment and abuse of public office to gain such personal benefits are one thing neither party has a monopoly on. Prime Minister Berisha fired Pango immediately - only four minutes after his behavior was shown on TV, in a desperate attempt to shield the already scandal-ridden Democratic Party from further political damage. ¶2. Many wonder why Prof. Dr. Ylli Pango was made a minister in Berisha's cabinet in the first place, given the rampant rumors of his not just sordid, but outright illegal behavior. He had been the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences in the past and a professor for many years, where he forced faculty members and his students to work for his political campaign in 2005, the same year in which he published his thick book on psychology by plagiarizing and using students to do the translation from English; directed his own NGO, and had a reputation for unwelcome sexual aggression against his young female students. The day after the broadcast showing his attempts to force himself upon the young woman job seeker, Pango showed up on an evening program stating that the video was a set up. The outrageous thing is that he claims that everyone would act as he did, for in Pango's world all people are prone to falling victim of their sexual desires. ¶3. After all is said and done, Pango continues to be a Member of the Parliament and is now, again, looking for another job. When the appalling nonsense of his story starts to fade, he will probably end up working again in a university, and will stay involved in politics, as many similarly "disgraced" political figures have done and continue to do in Albania.