Have you ever had a real job?
I read and hear about various young politicians who aspire to climb the ladder quickly, even aiming to become leaders. The key questions I would pose to them are: Have you ever had a real job, not just in a political party or ministerial office? Have you ever felt the fear of losing your job?
To be sure, education is important, as are foreign languages. Additionally, political experience gained within youth parties and impassioned university amphitheaters can be valuable. However, it’s not sufficient. Instead, experiences of this sort can entrap you in a microcosm that often blurs the lines between reality and their insular world.
During the post-dictatorship era, known in Greece as the Metapolitefsi, many such political stars emerged. Whether they were from the right-wing, left-wing, or PASOK ranks, they all seemed cut from the same cloth. Politics, for them, was and still is an endless stream of conversations, discussions and more talk. That folk excelled at networking and knew how to cultivate a favorable clientele. Most of them would likely be rejected in the first or second job interview if they showed interest in a position within the private sector. That doesn’t imply that many of them lack intelligence. In fact, they often exhibit an overflow of emotional intelligence, and of course, they’re enjoyable to have a beer with. In other words, they are anything but dull.
However, we have paid a heavy price for them. Instead of having them sitting in the coffee shop across from their university, we’ve entrusted them with representing us in Parliament or leading us from government positions. The results are apparent.
Their cynical indifference is alarming. You may bump into them, even as ministers, at some central cafe, where they might casually say, “Well, I got bored up there (in Parliament), so I came here to relax a bit.”
I believe that the time has come – in fact, it’s long overdue – to discern between those we want to govern us and those who are simply enjoyable company for a night out. Additionally, it’s high time we asked any ambitious politician standing before us directly, “Have you ever had a real job?”
