Mixed signals on reform
Both PASOK and New Democracy voters have recently been heard saying that if the ruling party does not succeed in putting matters right, Greece will be in a whole lot of trouble. Many in this country feel like someone who has only read about tsunamis but is standing on the shore watching the sea recede. These people were pleased with the new faces introduced into government, the great intentions of a major structural overhaul and initiatives for green development, but now they are starting to get worried. The government (with the exception of Tina Birbili at the Environment and Energy Ministry) appears to have no plan, to be backing down on major issues without putting up much of a fight and to be sending mixed signals. How can anyone take you seriously on social security reform when you can’t even agree on the basics already in place? How can you preach fiscal discipline when you disregard the statements made by the very person you put in charge of protecting the state’s coffers? The government stirs up fears of bankruptcy and then fails to practice what it preaches. Individuals who are in debt either do something about it themselves or end up on a credit black list and are forced into paying their debts. Some may even think that the government is incapable of taking responsibility for reform and fiscal management and has decided instead to put its fate in the hands of the European Commission and the European Central Bank. The real issue, however, is that we have to put our country on probation ourselves and should not expect others to look over the government’s shoulder. The Papandreou government still enjoys the support and good will of the people. Meanwhile, the next opposition chief will have nothing more than New Democracy’s previous plan to go on and will therefore have to knuckle down and find a solution. Problems such as social security reform cannot be solved unless all the major parties sit down together and draw up a plan that works.
