Don’t shoot the messenger
The fervor with which certain members of the press and opposition parties have attacked the recommendations in the latest report by Bank of Greece Governor Giorgos Provopoulos about areas in which the government can further cut spending is something to behold. The truth, of course, is that it has always been the case that the country’s top bankers and economists are immediately accused of being heartless and cruel whenever they ring any alarm bells. Provopoulos was doing exactly what he has been hired to do when he outlined areas in the public sector that can be streamlined without affecting the overall functioning of the state and its most vital departments. This is the responsible thing to do, especially as it also entails cutbacks that will affect the Bank of Greece itself. As things stand right now, Greece is in dire need of people who are not afraid to speak their minds and who know what they’re talking about, and it needs them in key positions. The fact that this is not the case is one of the reasons why we are where we are today.
