System must be purged with care
Prime Minister George Papandreou and his government are beginning to understand just how angry the people of Greece are and have embarked on a drive to clear up scandals and cases related to the misappropriation of public funds. The government, however, needs to tread very carefully because there is a risk that the initiative may be used in order to wipe out political competition by unfounded prosecution or even cases that have no real bearing on this issue taking up the time of the justice system. It is very easy for such a course of action to spin out of control and become little more than a judicial circus that will eventually deter people who are in key public administration posts from taking any meaningful decisions for fear that they may come into the sights of the public prosecutor. Yes, the system does need to be purged, but this should be carried out in accordance with strict guidelines regarding what is and is not punishable, in addition to a clear definition of the kind of cases that should be investigated.
