Gordian knot needs to be cut
And just when we thought that Greek politicians would finally be held accountable for their actions, we’re once again faced with a sea of evasion. The public is fuming at burgeoning reports that the German electronics giant repeatedly bribed Greek politicians or political parties to get its hands on lucrative state contracts. Voters demand that their political leaders cut the Gordian knot connecting business to politics. The prime minister yesterday proposed the establishment of a cross-party committee to examine specific measures to tackle the phenomenon, but the Socialist opposition turned down the proposal. Similarly, PASOK leader George Papandreou last week backed the taking of strong measures against Siemens but the government fell short of adopting them to the full. Political parties must finally realize that voters are not interested in their endless bickering. What they want to see is consensus on the immediate implementation of specific measures to curtail and monitor electoral spending – and if possible see Siemens held to account for the damage caused to free market competition.
