Too risky to be playing with fire
Greece is on the brink of bankruptcy, yet its political leaders appear determined to continue playing with fire. Prime Minister George Papandreou has suddenly decided to threaten voters with the possibility of calling early elections. Why? He has a comfortable majority in Parliament; he has already launched the inevitable program of reforms and austerity measures and he still has three years ahead before concluding his term in office. What Papandreou needs to be doing is forming the strongest possible government – whether this is with officials from within the ranks of his party or not – as well as dealing with the huge challenges facing the country, rather than getting the country embroiled in another period of political uncertainty. Likewise, opposition leader Antonis Samaras is behaving irresponsibly, as he continues to lambast the memorandum, stoking the public’s frustration and anger without presenting any credible plan for governing the country, should he be elected. Pulling Greece away from the brink of disaster and boosting growth are too important to be sacrificed on the altar of party interests.
