An unnecessary proposal

Greek President Konstantinos Tassoulas, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and recently appointed ministers be the swearing-in ceremonial pursuing a furniture reshuffle folowing alleged fraud related to European Union workplace funds, astatine the Presidential Palace successful Athens, connected April 4. [Stelios Misinas/Reuters]

“Such clientelist relations person been portion of the Greek state since its foundation. It is 1 of the basal reasons that we lag down the European average,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared connected Monday, successful an code to the federation regarding the workplace subsidy scandal. The premier curate did not exclude himself oregon his enactment from this “tradition,” describing it arsenic a “plague” that is portion of old-style politics, passed connected arsenic “a ‘baton’ from 1 authorities to the next.” No 1 tin disagree with these observations. But his connection for members of Parliament to beryllium barred from holding furniture positions, albeit impressive, is unnecessary and regressive. 

Regressive due to the fact that it predicts that different measures needed to combat corruption will fail, unnecessary due to the fact that it will make overmuch sound and further complicate relations betwixt citizens and politicians. The premier curate was not speaking of authorities comprising lone technocrats alternatively than elected members of Parliament – something that would not beryllium widely accepted – but alternatively of a analyzable system by which candidates would beryllium elected to Parliament lone to person to springiness up their spot when appointed to authorities positions. The runner-up who then took their spot would person to vacate their spot whenever a curate was kicked retired of the cabinet. In this way, premier ministers would clasp adjacent greater sway implicit their parliamentary radical and enactment than they already bash successful our highly centralized authorities system. 

The premier minister’s address, however, did see the measures that will free the state of client-patron relations. One was the very crushed of the existent turmoil: Justice has done its work and uncovered the acheronian ties betwixt politicians and various intermediaries trading favors for votes, resulting successful 11 MPs of the ruling enactment facing questions connected their alleged roles successful the subsidy scandal. The information that the probe was conducted by the European authoritative and not by Greek authorities, shows that the existent conflict against corruption, the 1 that will amended our governmental culture, is the work of the Greek governmental system – and it requires substantial betterment of the judicial system.

The revelations of a brave worker of the subsidies agency, Paraskevi Tycheropoulou; the liable presumption taken by a erstwhile caput of the agency; and the European authoritative person done much to enforce the governmental system’s compliance and modernization than immoderate newfangled involution successful the narration betwixt citizens and MPs and ministers. 

The different indispensable betterment is already making progress, and was referred to by the premier minister. “Only integer modernization and transparency tin free us of outdated practices that person nary spot successful the 21st century,” Mitsotakis said; these, on with reinforcing supervisory bodies, such arsenic autarkic authorities, the judiciary, and the quality media, we mightiness add. With supervision and Justice, the governmental system would modernize. Then, we mightiness person less tragedies, and less scandals. Then, perhaps, the state would not beryllium emptying of young people.