A sorry performance
The Simitis government, it seems, does not intend to fight for re-election as a modern-minded party that uses purely political weapons. Clearly nervous, because the opposition and a considerable segment of society refuse to congratulate it for its performance over the past four years, the demeanor of the Socialist leadership is at odds with its hyped announcements of a «new political mentality» that sought to purge the political arena of all anachronistic elements. Initiatives such as the recent forestry bill – a gift to lawbreakers – reveal the government’s understanding of «reformism» which was once heralded as the end of old-style partisan tactics. Furthermore, the premier’s rhetorical flourishes regarding Greece’s supposedly new, powerful status (which were actually far from the truth) highlight that in an attempt to sustain its grip on the levers of power, the political elite will go to great lengths to hide the truth from the voters. PASOK’s argument that no other party is capable of ruling the country, that New Democracy is «not serious» and thus unfit for governance, is an arrogant and offensive one, and suggests that the millions of people who voted for the conservative opposition committed a folly. Whether operating under the socialist, new socialist, or social-democratic brands, Simitis’s reformist leadership is governing in a petty-political fashion which irks any citizen with productive demands and who truly wants to see the country modernize in every sector. The government has failed to see that it is public disillusionment with the government’s sorry performance and provocative behavior that will determine the outcome of the coming elections, and not the certified presence of some high-caliber figures in the ranks of the conservative opposition.
