OPINION

Distrust of politics is the biggest obstacle

The truth is that frittering away and even pocketing public funds, living off state coffers and indulging in all matter of illegal activity were systematic phenomena for many years and not the exception. The fact that this mentality had seeped into the social fabric made them resilient, though no less damaging to society. But this way of doing things is over, which is why those who regard the crisis as an unpleasant parenthesis in the normal flow of business are delusional. The crisis is, in every respect, the end of an era.

This is the case not just for the economy, but for politics as well. To be exact, the problem is primarily political and only economic on a secondary level. The political system brought the country to the brink of bankruptcy. But the political system itself is not nameless or faceless, and those within politics who are responsible for the sorry state of Greece today should hold their tongues and stop wagging their fingers at society, because this is nothing short of a provocation.

The construction of a robust and productive model for growth is imperative, but for society to move in this direction in a unified and organized manner will not just take specific groups ceasing to hide behind the lie of their own reality. It will also take more than the heavy burden of responsibility being fairly meted out. What it will take is the removal of the biggest hurdle of all, which is the crisis of confidence in the political system, for society to stop believing that the existing political system cannot protect its interests. It is obvious in the same way that a patient will not turn to the same surgeon who botched the operation the first time around.

The problem will not be solved by a New Democracy government, because it too faces an absence of trust, and for good reason. The only way for this obstacle to be lifted and for Greece to really enter a phase of growth is through a government whose members are not sullied by past sins, who have proven that they can solve big problems and who have also shown that they have the public?s best interests at heart.

This is vital for the country, because over the past few weeks we have seen too many officials from the financial sector and from the ?party of the memorandum? branding themselves as saviors. Let us not forget that certain people among them talked a good deal about a strong economy when they knew that the ship was about to crash onto the rocks.

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