The same old game?
Anyone seeking to comprehend the kind of anger that Greeks feel toward the country’s political system needed only on Monday evening to step into the shoes of an unemployed person or those of someone reeling from the high taxes citizens are required to pay.
That was the moment when amid all their anxieties and stress, these two people realized that there were even greater anxieties out there, anxieties which made their own seem modest, even petty.
It was the evening when journalists on television were reporting how “Mr So-and-So refuses to be transferred and is demanding a top ministry,” or how “Mr So-and-So ended up at this or other ministry, due to a pileup” and so on.
With the exception of very few people, all Greeks are currently living in fear of being laid off, going out business and observing their own capabilities vanish.
Then, all of a sudden, they see a bunch of guys who are playing their own game, a game which has no connection to reality and the country’s actual problems.
They see, for instance, Mr So-and-So, someone who has contributed absolutely nothing toward putting the public sector into some kind of order, becoming arrogant and securing yet another ministerial position, a post where it has been mathematically proven he will achieve nothing whatsoever, give or take a few political favors.
That’s politics, you might say.
I agree with this assumption, and let me add that certain Mr and Mrs Nobody turned into Mr and Mrs Somebody because of our votes. Mind you, this did not happen only once or twice, something which would have allowed us to claim that we only made that mistake one time.
In the meantime, the reshuffle allows for some hope in that the two or three “commandos” – or even “kamikaze pilots,” depending on your point of view – who took on the tough jobs will actually accomplish their mission.
The active partisan political system has a very limited number of reserves and every time someone gets burnt it is a major loss for the country.
This is why, once again, we must hope that at least this time round there will be an honest, brave effort to bring order to the civil service and the health sector and improve the investment environment.
If Prime Minister Antonis Samaras succeeds in developing a tight group of decisive ministers, this government might prove better than previous administrations.
After all, we all know that there is no more room left for failure.
