Albanian Premier Edi Rama gathered today several oil merchants and announced to them the decision that from now on the fuel prices will be set through the approval of a governmental board.

Rama’s move came after the massive protests against the uncontrolled raise of prices and after he had declared earlier that the prices in a free market are not his government’s business.

But as experts had urged him to control some elements that are in the state’s competence, only now Rama recalled that the government does have the means to stop the speculators’ rush.

What catches the eye in his declarations is the attack against the businessmen, by telling them it is the due time to wash away their sins.

If businessmen sin, normally they do it with the government’s approval. But this is not the problem.

The opposition and experts urged the government to wash away its own sins in this crisis, by lifting taxes and subsidizing the affected classes.

Yet, Edi Rama did not take any responsibility on himself, neither for the reduction of VAT, or for the abolition of numerous taxes on fuel, or for subsidizing the citizens.

All he said was that businessmen have sins to wash away, while Albanians are waiting to learn when his government will wash away its countless sins.