Order’s hidden charm
When the going got tough, the government resorted to the ultimate ideological weapon: rhetoric on «law and order.» The interesting thing is that veteran PASOK MP Theodoros Pangalos did the same thing. No stranger to political disobedience, Pangalos has evidently also discovered the hidden charms of established views on democracy. Without a doubt, a fundamental principle of democracy is that laws are implemented fairly. But laws are not God-sent; they reflect the political balance of power and the sociopolitical situation. Elections are an efficient mechanism for legitimizing policy but this does not enable them to absorb all social tensions. If that were so, citizens would only express themselves politically as voters. But this does not mean citizens should only abide by the law if they agree with it. Laws foresee punishments for violators, after all. The point is that when a sociopolitical crisis has broken out and crowds of citizens are protesting, the problem is no longer a legal one. It is a political one and should be addressed as such. In such situations rhetoric on «law and order» is only useful as a basis for legitimizing the use of a heavy-handed policy. Experience, particularly in the case of the student movement, has taught us that shows of power and the use of heavy-handed policies can backfire. Apart from fueling tensions, these tactics have serious repercussions on the political balance of power. The government has finally started to realize this. The Education Ministry’s draft bill is now law. If Pangalos’s dogma was as straightforward as it seems, voting this law through Parliament would be the end of this story. In reality though, the implementation of this law will depend on the climate that will prevail in universities. And this will also be influenced by the government’s actions.
