The thread that was cut at Tempe
Let’s be serious, what this country really needs is not another election, but rather a responsible government and a constructive opposition that can demonstrate to voters their readiness to govern effectively when the next general election comes around.
The conservative administration failed to grasp the seriousness of the Tempe railway crash for ordinary Greeks. It sought refuge in attributing the incident to “human error” and dismissing it as something that can happen anywhere at any moment. It deemed that its election victory would wipe out the anger.
It was wrong, because every Greek parent identified with those who rightly expected that their children would safely arrive at their destination.
Subsequent journalistic investigations revealed that the human mistake was the result of systemic shortcomings, corruption, and mismanagement.
Yet, the government failed to address these issues, and it paid the price.
In any case, the disaster was not forgotten and the government appeared to want to suppress memories of it, which only intensified public anger and deepened distrust. While some degree of instrumentalization may have occurred, it was not a game changer. Political dynamics follow their own cycles, and attempts at complete domination often backfire.
It’s almost comical, if not tragic, to call for a fresh election, with or without international observers, when there’s no viable political leader or party capable of governing the country effectively at present. Perhaps such leadership will emerge in the next two or three years, but as of now, it remains elusive.
A paradox lies in the government’s behavior: on one hand, it governs with an attitude of “Who else will they vote for?” while on the other, it is very anxious about its performance in the upcoming European elections as if it were a life-or-death matter.
What’s needed is a sense of calm and re-establishing the communication thread between the government and society, a thread that appears to have been severed at the Vale of Tempe.
