A small army with a huge task
In the coming months, the government is expected to implement a number of bold and painful reforms. For good or ill, the administration of Prime Minister George Papandreou happens to be the one which has to save the country from bankruptcy by solving issues that have remained neglected for decades. The changes will come at a cost. Many people will have to settle for less. But that does not change the fact that they should have been carried out many years ago – before they were stymied by politicians’ fear of political cost. Paradoxically, all this is now being implemented by an administration whose large majority does not seem to believe in the coming changes. It is natural as these changes run against the legacy of PASOK and the vested interests connected to the party. The outcome of the reform campaign remains to be seen. But it’s hard to deny the sincerity of the small minority of government officials who are trying to cut the Gordian knots of Greece’s political and economic system.
