Propaganda or self-criticism?
PASOK’s long stay in power has nourished a preposterous public demeanor amid its Socialist cadres. The latest and quite indicative example was the government’s reaction to the critical remarks made on Monday by opposition leader Costas Karamanlis’s over the state of the Center for the Treatment of Chronic Ailments in Skaramangas. The clinic is indeed in an unacceptable condition. Everyone had a chance to witness this on their television screens, as television cameras have followed the conservative leader around his recent visits to public clinics. The deputy health minister and the government spokesman both criticized Karamanlis, saying that when he visits a hospital he only focuses on the deficiencies while keeping quiet about the «great improvements» that the Socialist government has accomplished in the health sector. The government thereby refuses the opposition its constitutional right to criticize the mistakes and the omissions of the administrative power. And the government doesn’t stop there. It expects New Democracy to help advertise and promote what it takes to be its achievements. Most surprisingly, this demand concerns the health sector, one whose poor conditions are witnessed on a daily basis by all those who have not seen any improvement – quite the opposite rather. This mentality is responsible for the blatant failure of the government’s communication policy (formerly, more appropriately, known as «propaganda»). In order to be successful, however, propaganda requires a sense of moderation, a considerable degree of intelligence, and persuasiveness. On the contrary, immoderation, hyperbole, and blatant distortions of reality are inevitably perceived by ordinary citizens as an insult to their intelligence. And this is when a party’s communication policy backfires. It is hence scorned by the public and comes across as a barefaced attempt to deceive them. The plunge in popularity of the current government is not only a result of its regrettable performance and continual backsliding. Nor can it, of course, be considered a result of harsh, unfair or abusive criticism by the opposition. The slide in its appeal is more likely a normal reaction by a public which, under the present circumstances, would «communicate» with the government had the latter indulged in self-criticism instead of in self-congratulatory remarks.
