Doing proper research before the vote

In about two months from now we will all head to the polls to vote for a new Greek government. We have before us some time to think which party but, just as importantly, which candidates we will select. There is a huge, national need to do a systematic “market research” into the candidacies for lawmakers.

For better or for worse, our political system is largely based on the cross we put before the candidate’s name on the party ticket. Whoever is the next prime minister, he will be forced to look at the list of elected lawmakers and form his government based on that. If we send to Parliament people who have never worked a day in their lives, who don’t know what it means to pay social security or to be afraid of being fired, who only know about trade unionism, university auditoriums and party politics, then the next government will include ministers and deputy ministers that nobody would hire in their private business. And anyone who complains about those politicians will hear the famous phrase attributed to Greek poet Giorgos Seferis, “This is our troupe; we will play using them.” Or, as a close associate of a former prime minister used to say, “If you give me potatoes and rice, how will I make the moussaka you want?”

The problem is not easy to resolve. Fewer and fewer of our fellow citizens who are successful in their jobs want to get involved in politics. Attempts to approach these people through candidate registers and other methods did not work, because politics is a very tough field. Especially these days.

But it’s time to get serious. We often send people to Parliament just because we see them on TV, with a whiff of lifestyle. We vote for those whose names we recognize and we never search for others who have achieved something in their lives, who want to contribute but are not household names. These people exist in most parties. There are also politicians who deserve our vote because they did the work, they left a measurable and tangible legacy.

I sometimes get angry with those who complain about Greece’s politicians. When I ask them who they voted for and they tell me politicians who are only good at the art of communication, I feel like I want to grab them by the shirt and shout: “We need people to govern. We are not doing castings for TV personalities!”