Avoiding the trap of the protectors
The main opposition PASOK party is in the grips of a deep crisis. The country needs a serious political opposition just as much as it needs a serious government. Before PASOK chooses a leader, it must explain the reasons behind its failures and clarify its profile once and for all. One of the main reasons that voters rejected PASOK in the past was the party’s all-out support for a portion of the state-backed business and publishing sectors. The extremely clumsy way in which this regime has since attempted to impose its own shortcuts and solutions has reignited the public’s discontent with such phenomena. Kathimerini does not favor any particular candidate for the PASOK leadership. But it does believe that the party chief should be elected in accordance with the proper democratic and transparent procedures. Greek citizens want their party to be self-sufficient and autonomous. Of course they want their governments to be this way too. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has been consistently successful largely by keeping his distance from all non-state circles of influence. Meanwhile, certain government cadres continue to turn to those who have traditionally offered them their support. If such practices are not curbed, the outcome will be quite predictable: one need only consider the example of the main opposition party.
