Seeking answers
As a taxpayer who is still in shock as a result of the excessive security measures taken for last week’s EU accession summit in Athens (and fearful of what we can expect in the future), I demand some answers as to what is in store for us during next year’s Olympic Games. Last week’s images of never-ending traffic queues, with frenzied citizens trapped in their cars for hours on end, are an embarrassment to all concerned. I demand official and documented answers as to who is responsible for executing next year’s grand event; especially as – while the government is hauled over the coals for every mistake it makes (and rightly so) – the Olympic Games organizing committee appears to have been mostly out of the firing line over the past few years, during which it has functioned as a state within a state. And, meanwhile, many questions remain unanswered: – Who are the advisers for Athens 2004, what is their role and what have they achieved until now? – Who was originally deemed competent to staff the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee and why were they then dismissed as incompetent? – How many journalists are involved, what exactly is their role, how much are they paid, and which media organization do they work for? – Why have we not been told the cost of this big party which is going to cause us years of economic hardship?
