Public tolerance breeds scandals
Reports that one of the civil servants’ auxiliary pension funds purchased an overpriced bond – a scandal that appears to be only the tip of the iceberg – were a blatant example that graft knows no party boundaries. One would have to be selfish or fanatic to claim the opposite, as indeed many conservative New Democracy party cadres used to do during the years of Socialist administration when they slammed alleged PASOK corruption. The truth is that corruption finds fertile ground within the political system – and not only there. The problem is mainly a crisis in our values system. The dominant pattern these days is that of the morally flexible, nouveau riche type. That also explains why cases of corruption have mostly been met with tolerance by the public and the political system. Social criticism has waned. In fact, the practice has lost ground to a barely concealed admiration, if not envy, of those who get away with making good without getting into trouble. The fact that this ailing phenomenon is not unique to any single political party does not excuse the political elites or any specific government from responsibility. In fact, quite the opposite. The magnitude of the pension fund scandal, along with many other indications, obliges us to assume that this is not just a scheme set up by the Akropolis brokerage and a group of state officials. This is not about the government turning a blind eye to a typical corruption case to support that precious bit of political clientele. This is not about the appointment of political cronies to profitable state sector jobs. Nor is it, finally, about being lenient on a blunder committed by «one our boys.» Everything seems to suggest that there is a lot more to this case – in fact, some have diagnosed here a source of political money. Agapios Simeoforidis, the head of the Civil Servants’ Auxiliary Pension Fund (TEADY), is not just any state official, but a figure who comes straight from the heart of the conservative party. Worse, the labor minister happens to be Savvas Tsitouridis, a politician who was implicated in the not-so-distant Competition Commission controversy. Even if Tsitouridis is found not to be directly involved, he still bears a great deal of political responsibility. Sure, corruption cannot be fought with moralist talk, but though prosecution is welcome, it is not always sufficient. There is need for drastic institutional measures and effective monitoring mechanisms. But for this to happen, the political system must demonstrate a fair amount of political will. Only a new moral system in politics and society can reverse the climate of tolerance that must be held responsible for a large number of scandals.
