Drawing the right conclusions
Every crisis also presents an opportunity, goes the old cliche. But it is also true. In Greece we unfortunately tend to follow every crisis with an endless slanging match over who is to blame and who said what that rarely translates into tangible lessons for the future. With very few exceptions. This is the case with the Imia incident, where the political staffers came to several conclusions and began treating the Hellenic Armed Forces differently.
In the same way, it is important to arrive at the right conclusions now, primarily for one reason: So as in the future any political leader or official, whether left or right, may not be tempted by the allure of a feeling complete power and is allowed to exploit the loopholes and the lack of checks and balances of state mechanisms to set up a very real, and not imaginary, hard autocratic regime that would make Hungary’s Viktor Orban look downright democratic. We owe this to our country and our democracy that still seems to be maturing. And with everything going on in the world, I do not think this happening in the future would be a plot borrowed from science fiction. After all, nothing can be taken for granted these days.
The government announced measures that are a step in the right direction. However, more must be done, both on a personal and institutional level. There are uncompromised, experienced and wise people in Greece and Europe that can help us overcome our worst self in a vital and sensitive area. It is important for anyone in power in the future that they are being regulated without leaving our national security vulnerable to the many threats it faces.
Greece has a structural problem. Its underbelly is, obviously, very seedy. The prime minister may not be aware of who is listening to who. Even though we are European in many ways, in others we seem stuck in our old Balkan habits. The question is how do you break free from this vicious cycle, how do you solve the problem without making the mistake of believing that the end justifies the means? As silly as may it sound in today’s environment, there is scope for a coalescence of the political system to solve this vexing puzzle. With rules and institutions.
What we do not need now is political instability and getting stuck in a deadlock, compounded by proportional representation. Many desire this, both domestically and outside of Greece. It would be a tragedy, however, because what is important is moving forward, not going back.
