Political parties must clean up their own act
The multifaceted Siemens bribe scandal, in which political parties and politicians allegedly received kickbacks in exchange for lavish state contracts with the German firm, is being disclosed little by little. The evidence brought to light by German investigative authorities and journalistic research have forced Greece’s politicians in both mainstream parties to take a stand on the issue. The Greek public is closely following developments, scrutinizing the acts and omissions of the competent officials. Given the dismal failure of politicians to honor their pledges to purge the body politik of corruption, they must expect people to be harsher on them this time. The outcome of this case will affect the credibility of politicians. Keeping mum on the issue is no good. Silence is tantamount to complicity that will inevitably result in the devaluation of the political system. The credibility of all parties is at stake. They must all look at themselves in the mirror and determine whether any of their cadres are implicated in the Siemens scandal. This scandal has an international dimension. The pet habit of Greek politicians of sweeping problems under the carpet will not do this time. Political parties must purge their ranks of the rotten apples. Otherwise they will be discredited and with good reason.
