Commentary
The sincere voters of this country should be pleased at last. The government and the opposition have urged that the overall living conditions of Greeks, including the educational and medical treatment systems, be evaluated. The only thing spoiling the overall climate is the exchange of accusations over the government’s alleged failings or achievements. Our political representatives are now listening to our everyday, genuine, and cumulatively huge problems, the angst and the concerns that burden the lives of citizens in this beautiful part of the Mediterranean. We are modernizing. Suffice it to mention that the cameramen, the photo-reporters and the journalists are notified literally at the last moment. They are also urging us to ascertain their efforts and their shortcomings. They then depart together and leave people in peace. Allow me to suggest a change in this remarkably successful communication brainwave. New Democracy leader Costas Karamanlis could ask Education Minister Petros Efthymiou which school he considers to be a model one that reflects government performance. He could then inspect that particular institution to witness the threshold of progress which he will have ultimately to surpass when the ballot turns in his favor. Efthymiou, for his part, could ask Karamanlis which senior high school he regards as the most problematic and then pay that institution a visit. He would thereby immediately confirm the flaws in government policy and take the requisite measures. Following this method, every matter would acquire double weight. The opposition would directly contribute to the acceleration of government performance while at the same time also exercise genuine control over it. The government would solve all important problems, as these would now be pointed out by its most responsible rival. The only thing we would be lacking would be an exchange of characterizations, like the recent one over the investment in misery and exploitation for partisan objectives. It’s a pity I do not have the space here to describe the enthusiasm felt by the citizens over the politicians’ new effort to tackle our ongoing problems.
