Opposition blasts government over state flaws
The numerous out-of-control fires in many parts of Greece in recent days have turned the spotlight back on the enduring problems of the state machinery and failures to address them adequately.
Given that the ruling conservatives are into their fifth year at the helm and these glaring shortcomings remain, the inevitable political cost to the government cannot be overstated.
This was duly noted by the opposition, which has heavily criticized the government, accusing it of failing to prepare for the fires and of failing to effectively coordinate forces and resources to reduce the devastating effects.
“The government, as in the summer of 2021, is quick to attribute the failure to respond to fires to the climate crisis, the heatwave and gale-force winds. But trying to place the blame elsewhere (e.g. local government) rather than on its own ineptitude is not borne out by reality and downplays the critical nature of the climate crisis. The government has an obligation to act effectively and in a timely manner to address the climate crisis and not to use it as a permanent alibi,” stressed, among others, the president of SYRIZA’s parliamentary group, Socrates Famelos, in a request for a parliamentary debate on the subject.
A similar request was made by the president of center-left PASOK, Nikos Androulakis, who referred to a “government ‘Waterloo.’”
“We have a duty to deal with this phenomenon based on the current circumstances of climate change. We need all parties to take decisions that are not driven by populism and wishful thinking,” he said.
The head of the Greek Communist Party (KKE), Dimitris Koutsoumbas, stressed that “the government has huge political responsibilities for not taking the necessary measures throughout the previous period.”
