The government must act with courage
Greece experienced two extreme events last week: the drowning of Antonis Karyotis at the port of Piraeus due to the actions of three ferry workers, and the unprecedented flooding caused by storm Daniel. Both events appear unrelated at first glance, but this is not the case.
Why? Because such a weather event may have been a first for us, but the state machinery’s failure to manage it appropriately was most certainly not. The extreme weather had been forecast well in advance, yet the state was completely unprepared for it. In the case of Piraeus too, the absence of the state was what allowed the barbaric events that led to Karyotis’ death.
We learned something as a result of this crime, however: that the coast guard is woefully understaffed and that many of its officers have been seconded to other services, leaving the country’s biggest port dangerously exposed. The seconded officers are now returning to their proper posts.
In other words, if Antonis Karyotis had not been killed, the situation at Piraeus would have continued. The incident is indicative of the fact that things in Greece tend not to change until disaster strikes and lives are lost. This was also apparent with the train crash at Tempe in the spring, the result of rampant cronyism at a crucial station. We’re talking about a deep state that governments are loath to touch.
The truth is that Greece seems to have had more than its fair share of disasters since the New Democracy government was re-elected on June 25. No government, Greek or otherwise, would have been able to deal with the kinds of fires and storms that swept through the country alone. This, though, does not reverse the fact that the state machine failed to rise to the occasion.
Which means that a radical overhaul of the state is essential. The government has a strong majority and is in a position to make this happen – if it wants to. It should not let this opportunity go to waste. The prime minister needs to reshuffle his cabinet, with choices dictated by merit. If ministers whose appointment was clearly a case of political expediency remain at their posts, this government will lose its credibility. Time is on its side. It is still at the beginning of its second four-year term in office. All it has to do is act with courage.
