Breaking the government impasse
Greece’s politicians and commentators are obsessed with the pension fund scandal. In the meantime, the country’s chronic problems remain unsolved. The bill drafted by Education Minister Marietta Giannakou brought some order to the university education system, but the conservative administration has shied away from other major reforms. In the economic sector, plans to privatize state telecom company OTE and the country’s major ports have been shelved. The New Democracy government must break this political impasse. But that means that the ministries must draw up a concrete reform agenda with specific deadlines. That’s the only way to get the government apparatus back into motion. The government must go into elections with reforms high on the agenda. For its part, the socialist opposition PASOK must shed its blanket rejection and instead come up with a straightforward, constructive blueprint for the future of the country. Greece is no stranger to polarization, and voters have often witnessed the negative effects of verbal skirmishing on the country. Now ahead of the next general elections, they expect to see some clear goals and specific plan of action from the government and some responsible and feasible proposals from the opposition.