First skirmishes
In an op-ed article published on June 11, prior to this year’s second election in Greece, I argued that despite my reservations about New Democracy’s performance in its first term, I would vote for them because I wanted to safeguard the governability of Greece.
Fortunately, Greece now has a single-party government, and the Parliament has already been briefed on the government’s policy agenda.
Throughout my political career, my opinions were often ahead of their time and in the minority. However, many things have changed over time. For decades, I have advocated for a smaller state, which includes a clear separation of state and church, a tolerant and liberal society, and the elimination of monopolies and institutional privileges, particularly in the education sector.
I do not expect the 158 members of New Democracy to dare deviate from the party line on any issue from now on. Blind adherence to the party’s policies has become the only politically acceptable behavior, which undermines parliamentary democracy. What is the purpose of having all these representatives if they have no independent opinions? Are they merely present to offer applause and approval? If you believe I am being unfair to them, try to recall a single instance in the past four years when a New Democracy member dared to differ from Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ position in Parliament. While the “party faithful” in New Democracy may celebrate the party’s unwavering unity, I am disheartened by the lack of diverse voices. We need a creative plurality and a prime minister capable of harmonizing these different voices into a new reformist harmony.
I do not have high expectations of the opposition either. SYRIZA and PASOK are locked in navel-gazing, as they search for a winning combination without expressing any core convictions to engage the citizens. On the other hand, the Greek Communist Party (KKE), with its outdated beliefs, attempts to mold reality to fit its own convictions. The fragmentation of political parties, a consequence of the flawed simple proportional representation system and the 3 percent threshold for parliamentary representation, along with inherited bad habits, unfortunately hinder even basic consensus on matters of principle.
Greece, a relatively small country, now has a one-party government with 63 cabinet members, which is 9 more than the first Mitsotakis government had. This was highlighted by Ioannis Marinos in an article published in To Vima newspaper recently. Ultimately, everything will be judged based on the results.
I have read the prime minister’s policy statement, which amounted to 8,400 words compared to the 5,900 in his 2019 program. This represents a 42 percent increase. However, quantity is never a reliable indicator of quality.
The prime minister announced that, as a first legislative proposal, an independent body will be responsible for assessing the cost of political party programs. I must note that I do not believe it is the state’s role to calculate the costs of party programs. However, it is the state’s duty to meticulously and transparently assess the costs of its own actions.
For instance, I want to know how many people have been hired by the state in any capacity, month by month, from July 2019 until today. I want to know the monthly cost of those hires and the estimated total cost, including their future pensions. Such information must be made available to prevent the perpetuation of falsehoods, as the prime minister himself put it.
An article by Bob Traa, a former senior IMF resident representative in Athens, titled “Where are the conservatives?” on the Macropolis website prompted my previous question. According to Traa, citing ELSTAT data, employment in the public sector increased from 1,013,398 individuals in 2018 to 1,075,048 in 2022. During the four-year term of New Democracy, an additional 61,650 employees were hired.
Dear readers, all state expenditures are funded by taxes, either presently or in the future. Governments secure votes by spending state funds (which do not belong to them), and when that is insufficient, they borrow money, promising to repay it with interest later. This is how public debt accumulates. The current generation benefits, while the bill is passed on to future generations. The state possesses the power to impose taxes on citizens to cover its expenses. Decisions are made by a parliamentary majority, with MPs subject to party discipline. In my view, it is politically unethical for the state to exploit its power to impose taxes for expenses that could have been avoided. If a task requires two public employees, it is unethical to remunerate four.
The other day, I heard a minister in the government promise evaluations throughout the public sector. However, when asked about the fate of those found unfit, his response was that they would be made fit at the expense of taxpayers.
I wish the government success, and I will be closely monitoring its actions. I extend my gratitude to all those who provide me with information that enables a better understanding of reality.
Stefanos Manos is a former minister.
