Why did Ismail Qemali resign from leading the provisional government on January 22, 1914?

By: Evarist Beqiri

To triumph, we need leaders inspired by idealism, leaders with grand visions, who dream the impossible and fight to make their dreams come true; who can ignite the spirit of the people with the fire of their own soul. The leader of the moment, whoever he may be, is simply a tool, to be used until it is used up and then set aside; and if he is worth anything, he will not be more concerned when he is “broken” than a soldier who sacrifices his life for victory.

– Theodore Roosevelt, former US president

A country without memory is a country without a future. Ismail Qemali's resignation from the post of the first prime minister of Albania in Vlora, on January 22, 1914, remains today one of the most significant, but also most misunderstood events in the history of Albania. But let's try to understand the reason, why!?

Also from Evarist Beqiri:

- The role of Ismail Qemali in the independence of Albania
- Ismail Qemal's clashes with the Sultan
- Ismail Bey Qemali at the Congress of Young Turks in 1902 in Paris
- "The New York Times" about the escape of Ismail Qemali from Istanbul
- Strength of character and leadership: Ismail Qemali's skills as governor of Beirut

On January 2, 1914, just a few days before his resignation as head of the Provisional Government of Vlora, Ismail Qemali wrote a letter to the prefect of Elbasan, Aqif Pasha. In this letter, Ismail Qemali Vlora analyzed with impressive clarity the political situation in the country and pointed the way towards the future:

We saved Albania, we convinced all the kingdoms to recognize that Albania ensures the Balkan balance and is therefore indispensable for the world peace of Europe and, with God's help, there is no room left for any danger to worry us in the future. But for us, there is only one issue that worries us: we cannot stand each other and, good or bad, everything we do on our side encounters difficulties and brings consequences.

As for the existence of Albania, which we have informed you sooner or later, all the great kingdoms consider its existence necessary and are unanimously and firmly determined to meet all its needs, so that it does not remain forced to depend and be tied to any side. Yes, unfortunately, that unity that exists between the great kingdoms is missing among us. Nevertheless, the patriots should not despair, since the masters of good will and initiative will save their homeland from this disaster as well. Among these patriots, your lordship has occupied the first and most important place.

Albania, if it does not show its ability to live as a Balkan nation, cannot live as a kingdom - but how should this be achieved? First, by having a form of government that will make our nation live in common harmony with the Western kingdoms, and second, at the head of this government there must be a sovereign who, being endowed with good ability, nobility and excellent qualities, can establish friendly relations with the kingdoms of Europe.

Those people who want to deprive us of these two benefits undoubtedly deserve the name of intriguers and traitors, and their propaganda, whatever its source and cause, must be cursed by all who claim to be loyal to the people and the fatherland. I know that Esad Pasha and his followers, his highness the prince, on the one hand are inviting him in a very attractive and patriotic manner, on the other hand, they are trying to plot and twist intrigues against him and, better to say, against our political and philosophical theory. On the one hand, they are inclined to establish intimate relations with Istanbul and thus want to secure their power and personal interests under the guise of Islam, and on the other hand, they do not fail to take every initiative to serve our enemy, who is trying to divide our fatherland.

I have informed in detail the mystery of these true things to those who should be informed, and with God's help we hope that the intentions of the traitors will not be realized. The manner of receiving the prince and the place where he will stay will be determined by the patriots and within the legitimate conditions that the interest of the fatherland requires. On this issue, we are of one opinion with the control delegates...

Leaders forge leadership in small details. The so-called “Beqir Grebenesa conspiracy” was instigated by the Young Turks, who aimed to regain control over Albania, taking advantage of the difficult situation after the Balkan wars and the injustices of some Albanian beys. The chaos created in Central Albania by Esad Toptani and his followers was another factor that added fuel to the fire. Therefore, Ismail Qemali resolved the crisis created by his resignation. With this act, which reveals the virtuosity of his leadership, Ismail Qemali aimed to give the KNK the opportunity to unite the country under a single government. He thus became the first resignant. Therefore, the founder of the institute of resignation in Albanian politics.

Ismail Qemali's resignation created a vacuum that could not be filled by the KNK administration. Ismail Qemali, together with his family, left Vlora for Italy and then to France. Despite the dramatic situation, he did not lose optimism and saw the departure as temporary. He advised his people to continue to interact with each other "because one day the white hour of Albania's fate would come."

This is the full text of the minutes officially reflecting Ismail Qemali's resignation:

Today, January 22, 1914, the International Control Commission met in the presence of His Excellency Ismail Qemal Bey. Chairman of the Provisional Government, convinced that the only way to put an end to the discord and anarchy prevailing in the country is the crime of a single government for the whole of Albania, and since in the present circumstances this goal can be achieved only if he passes power into the hands of the International Control Commission as the representative of the Great Powers, in the presence of his ministers he repeated to the International Control Commission the request previously made, that this Commission should take over this task and take power into its own hands. The International Control Commission respectfully appreciates the patriotic feelings from which His Excellency Ismail Qemal Bey has proceeded in his actions, accepts this delegation of power and, with the appropriate authorization of the Great Powers, undertakes on behalf of the government representing the administration of Albania.

Signed: Ismail Qemali, Nadolny, Petrovic, Krajewski, Harry Lamb, Leoni, Petriaew.

Honest, bitter Albanians understood Ismail Qemali's sacrifice. They accepted this act with regret. They hoped that Ismail Qemali's departure from the leadership of the country would be temporary. In the telegram sent to Ismail Qemali, on January 23, 1914, the Elbasan patriots expressed: "With all my heart, please accept our warm congratulations for the manliness and patriotism you have shown. This sacrifice truly resembles that manliness that raised the flag for the first time in Vlora. Albania will never forget these two deeds."

The Lushnja patriots expressed their regret for Ismail Qemali's resignation, with a telegram dated January 23, 1914, in this way:

The bitter news of the departure from the presidency of the National Government of a great patriot like your Excellency, who has sacrificed his life for the salvation and independence of Albania, was received with deep regret by the entire people. Your Excellency's gesture aimed at the unification of this fragment of Albania, has thwarted the diabolical intentions of some ill-wishers of the nation, who in the past and in the present have not spared betrayals to make Albania a victim of their vile personal interests, has been glorified and honored by all. There is full hope to see Your Excellency again in that sacred post in the very near future and with great respect we kiss your honest hands.

His loyal collaborator, Aqif Pasha Elbasani, in the telegram sent to Ismail Qemali, writes that: Your Excellency's patriotic gesture adds a glorification to the high patriotic services rendered by you. You deserve honors and on this occasion I adore your Excellency.

Ismail Qemali would write to the French newspaper "Le Matin", on Tuesday, February 3, 1914, reacting to an article published a short time ago in the Italian newspaper "La Tribuna" regarding his resignation:

If I asked the Great Powers to allow their representatives to take over the government of Albania until the arrival of the prince, it was only for a purely patriotic purpose and with their high approval.

Ismail Qemali left Vlora and went to rest for a while in Nice, to return to Albania again in May 1914. From there he carefully followed the events in Albania. Subsequent developments in Albania would prove him completely right. He was disappointed with the choice made by the Great Powers, in appointing an anonymous sovereign. This reflected their lack of attention to Albania. "In politics, what is predicted never happens", said Ismail Qemali. But he warned Prince Vid about the consequences of his wrong decisions.

The new prince settled in Albania. He chose Durrës as his capital and royal residence, which Ismail Qemali saw as the least suitable. He continued with other wrong decisions, which would hasten the end of his short reign. His first act, even before he landed on Albanian soil, was that of appointing Esad Pasha Toptani as Minister of War and as the first general of Albania. It was even Esad himself who received him on the shores of Durrës, on March 7, 1914. However, Ismail Qemali supported Prince Vidin, despite recognizing his incompetence.

In the interview given to the Italian journalist Arnaldo Cipolla, on the night of January 22 and the dawn of January 23, 1914, Ismail Qemali says that the “Grebeneja” issue and his resignation have no connection: “The arrival of Prince Vid,” he said, “necessarily means that there will be no Albanian provisional government.” Ismail Qemali continued by saying: “It is a kind of mania that you and your colleagues have for mixing two unrelated issues: one related to the Young Turks’ conspiracy and the other to the suspension of the government. I repeat to you that there is absolutely nothing in common between the fantasies of the Young Turks, which can never be revived in Albania, and the resignation of the government.”

Ismail Qemali's words at the end of the interview reveal his state of mind at the moment of leaving his homeland, where he had just created the modern Albanian state. He explains to the journalist the real reason why he was leaving:

The need for rest, no other reason. Believe me, I am terribly tired! Try to think what a great burden the provisional government has on its back, a poor and ill-treated government, what work it has done for the good of the country, from the unforgettable day when independence was declared in the painful atmosphere caused by the Greek blockade, to this day. It was we who fed that first and timid flame of freedom. Recognize this merit for us, before our mission is over.

Ismail Qemali says that, in the days preceding Prince Vid's arrival, his position was not at all pleasant, and quotes the proverbial saying that best described his condition: "Your Christian proverb no prophecy in the homeland "(There is no prophet in his own place) is more true than ever in our painful land. But I am not a beggar looking for benefactors."

In his book I am singing., published in London in 1924, the British soldier, diplomat, secret service officer and MP Aubrey Herbert tells a very significant story about the evil mentality of Albanian politics. Aubrey Herbert was the defender of the Albanian cause on the British political scene. After his stay in Vlora and meeting with Ismail Qemali, he also tells about the meetings held with Dervish Hima and Esad Toptan in Tirana in September 1913, regarding the future of Albania:

Dervish Hima, a large, brutal man, servant of Esad Pasha, and mannerisms and vocabulary like those of the Young Turks.

Dervish Hima: The government of Ismail Kemal is cursed (The government of Ismail Kemal has its days numbered and will not last long.)

Aubrey Herbert: Please be kind enough to explain to me.

Dervish Hima: He has not built a road. He has not given food to twelve thousand refugees. We need a new government.

Aubrey Herbert: Wouldn't it be better to focus on feeding refugees, and thinking about small but necessary improvements, rather than dealing with political conflicts?

Conversation with Esad Pasha:

Esad Pasha came for lunch. We spoke Turkish at first, but there was an Albanian there who spoke French and translated for us.

Esad Toptani: Ismail Qemali is a thief and a rootless man. What I want is to protect Albania and retreat.

Aubrey Herbert: Ismail Qemali has the same opinion about your Excellency. Your country would be safer only when you two come to an agreement and not fight and divide.

Esad Toptani: The difference between me and Ismail Qemali is that I am honest, and he is not. I can tell more about him.

Aubrey Herbert: A foreigner cannot enter into these matters. Europe knows Ismail Qemali better than your Excellency, and it prefers someone it knows, with mistakes, to someone it does not know, who may also have mistakes.

Esad Toptani: I went to Vienna a few months ago where they promised me a Prince within 10 days. Then I went to Rome with the hope that this would be ratified, and in the end this did not happen. I suspect that Ismail Qemali told the Italians that it would be better not to appoint the Prince, so that there would be no difficulties, so that he could act freely. I believe that Ismail Qemali, at all costs, seeks to be the virtual Prince of Albania, and one day this will be sanctioned by law.

Aubrey Herbert: This requires the approval of the Commission. Without its approval, this law has no force.

Esad Toptani: The commission and discussions will take some time, and in the end it will be accepted (un fait accompli). You do not know the problems I have had from the rumors that I want to become Prince of the Albanians.

Aubrey Herbert: If I were in your place, Your Excellency, I wouldn't be bothered by this, because there are other, worse things being said about you.

Translator: Faut-il le dire, si brutalement (Should I say it so brutally)?

Aubrey Herbert: Po. The current, unstable situation and the lack of a strong leadership pose a danger, now that the country is also occupied. Your Excellency's plans seem to me to increase this uncertainty, and it seems as if you are playing the game of the Serbs and Greeks, who seek to present you in Europe as an uncivilized and divided country.

Esad Toptani: I think I'll gather the most prominent men. Then I'll call a General Assembly.

Aubrey Herbert: So you're going to get a mandate from the whole country?

Esad Toptani (hesitates): The Albanians of the South are less important than the other provinces. I would do this if the government were to be established in Durrës.

Aubrey Herbert: If the government were to be established in Durrës, foreign opinion might say that this happened because you, Esad Pasha, dominate Durrës.

Esad Toptani: If this is the problem, then let's go somewhere else. I don't want to clash with Ismail Qemali. He is the culprit. I have great faith in English support.

Aubrey Herbert: And Albania will receive support only when you personally do not create unrest.

"Esad Toptani," Aubrey Herbert recounts in his book Ben Kendim, "after having embezzled a considerable amount of money in Durrës, sent an ultimatum to Ismail Qemali in September 1913, that the seat of government be moved to Durrës. And in this way the large amount of money would be divided between them. But this was something unacceptable to Ismail Qemali."

Esad Toptani and his relatives wanted to preserve the old privileges in the new Albania. They were of the opinion that “everything must change, so that everything remains as it was”. Therefore, they never joined Ismail Qemali and other patriots on the difficult path of national unification.

It seems as if the political situation described above has been repeated time and again throughout our national history. The vicious political culture, the proverbial inability to come together as one body, and the inability to think strategically, setting aside petty personal interests for the sake of the greater national interest, has often been lacking in our political class.

The story we are bringing below is the best metaphor to illustrate the different mindsets that characterized Ismail Qemal Vlorë and Esad Toptan. It is a story that comes to us from Solomon, one of the most prominent sovereigns of Israel: "Two women who lived in the same house had given birth to two babies within a few days of each other. Unfortunately, one night one of the babies died. The mothers were not finding peace, as to which of them would hold the baby that survived. Therefore, they decided to submit to the king's judgment. Solomon ordered that a sword be brought to divide the baby in half, so that each of them could hold a part. The real mother, with tears in her eyes, allowed the other woman to hold the baby, with the sole intention of saving his life. In this way, the mask was brought to the other woman and the real mother finally managed to hold her child."

Ismail Qemali has often been criticized for his act of resigning from the post of Prime Minister of Albania. This is a rare gesture for leaders even today, because it is very difficult to give up power. The combination of selfishness, megalomania and tyranny often make this impossible for human nature. Therefore, Ismail Qemali's resignation should be seen not as weakness, but as the most sublime act of patriotism. He did not want to get involved at that moment in a power struggle with Esad Toptan. Because this struggle combined with Slavic-Greek propaganda, which presented Albanians as people with tails in the eyes of European public opinion, would be deadly for the newborn Albanian state ...

All the great leaders in world history have achieved great achievements for their country, having sufficient economic and military power, on which they relied. Meanwhile, Ismail Qemali managed to establish a state in poor and enslaved Albania, without having either economic or military strength. Even fought from outside and from within the country. But, it is precisely in these details that the strength of Ismail Qemali Vlora's leadership lies.

In a speech in October 1913, Ismail Qemali would declare to the people of Vlora:

It may be that from then until now the government has not done some things that should have been done, or has done some others poorly; but you can be sure that it has done so, unable to behave otherwise. A work of great value cannot be denied to our government, the keeping high the banner of freedom. Is this an important work? Yes, there is no doubt! In addition, you should note the efforts made by the government not to let the poor suffer ...

It seems that with these few lines, Ismail Qemali has best summarized the essence of the legacy of his short rule. Because it does not matter how long a man's life lasts. What matters is how he spends the years of his life, whether they are few or many. The same can be said for leadership. It does not matter how many years a leader stays in power. More important for leadership is the ideological and spiritual legacy he leaves behind. Knowing when it is the right time to give up is a crucial part of leadership.

Albania's first prime minister, Ismail Qemali, understood one of the main principles of democracy: the most difficult thing in a democratic system is not to gain power, but to know when to give it up. In September 1913, having realized his vision of seeing Albania free and independent, Ismail Qemali would declare to British MP Aubrey Herbert:

I am an old man. I just want my country to walk on its own two feet – and then I will resign. I am tired. I am very tired.

Aubrey Herbert had sympathy for Ismail Qemali. He would write:

The poor old man may have thrown it to anyone and anytime, but he has more statesmanship on one finger than all the others combined.

The best way to understand a leader is by how he uses power. Ismail Kadare's pen describes Ismail Qemali's last act thus:

The founder not only said goodbye to all that tradition that could be called the horror of foundations, but, as if that were not enough, he had gone further. Together with the state, and shortly after its creation, he had established something that was perhaps even more difficult than the state itself: resignation. He was the first Resigner in this country, and perhaps in the entire dramatic peninsula.

Psychologist Tasha Eurich, in the Harvard Business Review, writes that:

Research suggests that when we see ourselves more clearly, we have more self-confidence and creativity. We make better decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively. We are less likely to lie, cheat, and steal.

The prominent poet from Vlorë, Fatos Arapi, subtly manages to penetrate the depths of the noble old man's soul when he writes: "Every time I approach Ismail Qemali in my studies, I feel a pain, a sorrow that torments the first chairman of the Council of Ministers of Independent Albania." The poet, with his outstanding sensitivity, understands Ismail Qemali's great sorrow, which is related to the inability to continue working to fully realize his vision of national unity and progress.

Ismail Qemali would never stop fighting for the Albanian cause and human freedom. His motto was, "Never give up. Never, never, never and never". He would continue his battle until the last day of his life, involving all patriots in the great challenge of establishing, uniting and strengthening the Albanian state. In November 1917, Ismail Qemali would address the Albanians with these words:

I will not hesitate for a minute to enter a new war to save our beloved homeland, when I am strengthened by the faith and love of my beloved compatriots, and I do not doubt complete victory only if they can all be found united, putting aside opposition and quarrels...

Man is above all a spiritual being. Time and space unite human souls, thus enabling them to overcome the challenges of different eras, which are decisive for the fate of human freedom. Providence is fate. Fate when it serves a purpose sublime by nature itself.

The greatest trait of great men is the ability to set aside self-interest for the sake of the public good. This is a distinguishing feature of great leadership. Ismail Qemal Vlora is both the founder of modern Albania and the founder of the institution of resignation in Albania.

Ismail Qemali created something that could never be undone. His opponents could create anything else, but they could never build a new Albania. Albania, his beloved creation, now stood there, as undeniable evidence of his virtuoso leadership.

However, Ismail Qemali's sublime legacy has never been properly understood. Ordinary mortals often forget that power is not an end in itself, but a means to the service of the public good.

Our politicians forget one of the basic principles of leadership. The leader has upon himself not only the responsibility to know when he is the right person to lead, but also the responsibility to know when he is no longer the right person to lead…