Agron Dedivanaj, chairman of the association “Jehona e Malësisë” in Michigan, has extended his congratulations on September 1st, the Day of Tuz Municipality.
“A municipality is not just an institution. It is our big family. It is the place where people’s needs, challenges, and hopes unfold. In the municipality, all dimensions of daily life become clearer: from education and healthcare, to roads, sanitation, economic development, culture, and sports. For this reason, the success of the municipality is also our personal success,” Dedivanaj wrote.
Here is his full message:
Dear fellow citizens, dear friends, representatives of institutions, young and old,
Today we celebrate the Day of the Municipality, the day of our common home, the day that reminds us that the true power of development and progress lies in self-governance, in the free and responsible decision-making of the citizens.
A municipality is not just an institution. It is our big family. It is the place where people’s needs, challenges, and hopes unfold. In the municipality, all dimensions of daily life become clearer: from education and healthcare, to roads, sanitation, economic development, culture, and sports. For this reason, the success of the municipality is also our personal success.
Self-governance, dear citizens, is a great value of freedom. It is a right earned through much effort and sacrifice. History teaches us how heavy foreign rule was. When others decided for us, they did not feel our pain, did not understand our struggles, did not hear our voice. For them, we were just numbers, just statistics. But when we decide for ourselves, every decision is closer to the people, more sensitive, more just, because it comes from the people themselves.
Today, we no longer live under foreign orders. Today, we have the opportunity to build our future according to our will. This is the power of self-governance: to choose our representatives, to hold them accountable, to be part of the decision-making process. This is the essence of democracy.
In these years, our municipality has made important steps forward. Projects have been realized that have changed our daily lives: investments in schools, infrastructure, social care, and culture. These are not just achievements of the institutions, but achievements of all citizens, because nothing is done without the trust, participation, and support of the people.
And yet, much work lies ahead. Self-governance is not only a right, but also a responsibility. It is not enough to demand accountability from our leaders; we too must be active, participative, and contributing. A strong municipality is built when every citizen feels responsible for the common good.
Dear fellow citizens,
The Day of the Municipality is a day that reminds us we are the masters of our own destiny. Just as freedom is beautiful when led by the people themselves, it is painful when someone else decides for our lives. Therefore, today let us pledge to protect and strengthen our self-governance, to work together for a more developed, fairer, and more equal municipality.
Happy Municipality Day!
May this day be a reminder of our difficult past, a reflection for our present, and a light for our common future.