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ETHICAL ISSUES OF THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN THE FIRST STEPS OF THE ALBANIAN GOVERMNET 1920-1930

Rita Loloci, Ilir Sallata

Abstract

The mission of public administration in the broadest sense of the word is to serve the citizens by fulfilling their demands. On the other hand, in order to fulfill this mission, it must prepare a pool of employees who accept and are able to provide these services ethically. Focusing exclusively on ethics in public administration, this study presents the efforts made by the Albanian governments in reforming the public administration, starting with the government of Ismail Qemali until 1930. This study not only gives a historical overview, but also elaborates on legal basis underlying the formation and reformation of the Albanian administration in this period. The way of conceiving service ethics in public administration according to, Chapman, A. R. is a chain of principles, norms and rules of conduct, a set of values and moral requirements, which are applied by professional managers in the field of public administration. Standards and norms of conduct have special weight for employees who are in daily contact with people. The methodology used in this study is the review of archival documents, applicable legislation, and historical literature that corresponds to the analyzed period. Explanatory analysis of the phenomena and situations underlying the legal, ethical, and moral approaches to the operation of the public administration are identified in the period under scrutiny. The historical approach to the problem of ethics in society helps understand the chronological order of ethical situations and behaviors in space and time. The activity of the state administration in Albania was established on a legal track with the first document of 22 November 2013. The “Current Canon of the Civil Administration of Albania” [1], was drafted on the basis of the principle of unified power. It consisted of 87 articles (chapters) and addressed matters of the local administration, their units and powers, and the independence of administrative, executive and legal bodies. The drafting of legislation for the activity of public servants included concrete penalties ranging from light measures such as written warnings, reprimands, fines, dismissals to criminal penalties. In addition, although the Albanian State was newly created, it paid attention to the independence of the branches of power by ensuring non-interference with court affairs. In conclusion, it is worth mentioning the fact of depoliticization of the public administration, where the employee before commencing work was obliged to take the oath in the presence of two witnesses. The oath formula included a statement that the employee was not a member of any political party. Another very important procedural aspect to consider is that legal rules need to be promulgated. By promulgating laws, people are informed about their legal obligations and this helps to model their behavior in relation to the law, which means respect for the law. Even during the period under study, it was noticed that the legal acts and instructions issued by King Zog, were published in official journals. The publication of legal norms in the official gazette constitutes a constitutional obligation and legal condition for their entry into force, at the same time it is considered as one of the basic components of "Good Governance" and "Rule of Law".

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