Waging a war against corruption
Many argue that the New Democracy government has lost the war on corruption. Though it may still be too early to know the outcome, one thing is certain: Unlike its socialist predecessor, the conservative administration has at least waged a battle against graft. The problem of bribes being accepted by officials is deeply rooted in the state apparatus. New Democracy had underestimated the magnitude of the problem but never turned a blind eye to it. The government of Costas Karamanlis has introduced measures to rid the judiciary system of corruption and has referred cases with an element of doubt to the prosecutor. No one can accuse the Conservatives of not biting the bullet or of calling on critics to «take any evidence of corruption to the prosecutor» – as the PASOK government did under Costas Simitis. Similarly, no one can doubt the fact that whenever reports of wrongdoing emerged, the administration itself called on the prosecutor to protect taxpayers’ money. The war on corruption is a long one and will not be decided in one or two battles. The administration must be constantly on the alert and display strong political will. And the government has made clear there is no shortage of the latter.
