Dark forces
The current abatement in the efforts to destabilize the country’s political institutions is only superficial. Numerous sources and power centers – which often serve conflicting goals – are circulating rumors about an impending resurgence of mudslinging in all directions. The decisive and immediate reaction by all sides of the political spectrum undercut the impetus of the architects of this shadowy campaign and forced them to retreat. This withdrawal, however, appears to be aimed at a more thorough preparation for a new round of attacks rather than signaling the abandonment of the undermining plan. The degree of coordination during the previous attack suggests that the interests at stake are so powerful that the perpetrators of the first attempt will make a comeback. There are signs that some circles are trying to unravel the political system by disrupting its two main pillars, that is PASOK and New Democracy, in a way similar to what took place in Italy in the early 1990s. Perhaps some are hoping to replace the present political forces with a new set of politicians who will be more willing to serve their desires and interests, with the aspiration of recreating the cozy relationships between business interests and the State typical of the previous decade. It is not Kathimerini’s aim to veil over the weaknesses, inadequacies, weariness and corruption of the existing political system, which it has anyway criticized systematically and unflinchingly. But it has to point out that the political system cannot be purged from intertwined interests by those who have played a leading role in corrupting it. The Italian example is an instructive one. The fragmentation of a system which, unlike the Greek one, was clearly based on totally corrupt political leaders such as the Christian Democrat Giulio Andreotti and socialist Bettino Craxi, finally resulted in the ascendance of politicians who were far worse than their predecessors, namely the highly controversial Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the post-fascist Gianfranco Fini, the far-right racist Umberto Bosi, whose rule has caused a breach between Italy and the EU. Given that in Greece we may have weak, but definitely not corrupt leaders, it is obvious that the blow against democracy would be fiercer here than in Italy, if these plans succeeded. In democracies, the way out of a crisis is by replacing an inefficient government with a thriving opposition, and not through undermining both; this only serves obscure interests. It said a forthcoming PKK party congress would decide on the new form the party would adopt.
