Backfiring institutional transgressions
It is surely a coincidence that “the report on the wiretapping case came out one day before Parliament closed and two days before August, the laziest month of the year,” as Kathimerini reported recently. But it is the worst timing for the government and the judiciary, because in August, when there is no news, people have plenty of time to chat and conspire about a case that – let’s be honest – ticks all the necessary boxes to become the focus of discussions at seaside tavernas.
The wiretapping case has all the makings of a spy thriller. Dark agents who eavesdrop on prominent figures of politics, society, ministers, journalists, judges etc. It has the murder of a journalist, companies that create shady software with exports to third world dictatorial regimes, plus Israel, whose mention alone adds five conspiracy theories to every chat. And if some people claim now that the reactions to this deficient report by the deputy prosecutor of the Supreme Court undermines the prestige of justice, wait till they see the conclusions that will come out in August by the vacationing public.
The wiretapping case has all the makings of a spy thriller: dark agents who eavesdrop on prominent figures of politics, society, ministers, journalists, judges etc
Late on a Friday night, on May 8, 2009, the then conservative government of Kostas Karamanlis surprised Greeks by announcing the early suspension of the Parliament’s work, due to the upcoming European elections. PASOK, which was the main opposition at the time, described it as an “institutional aberration,” since the early closure would have automatically stopped any proceedings for a series of court cases that were plaguing political life. The government spokesman at the time, Evangelos Antonaros, responded that all the cases that came to the Parliament and involved politicians had been thoroughly investigated, and described PASOK leader George Papandreou’s statement as cynical and irresponsible, claiming that “he is not interested in the country marching toward the European elections with a focus on politics.” Back then, it was PASOK – and not SYRIZA – that was accused of being a bearer of “cynicism and irresponsibility.”
That decision to close Parliament had been brewing all summer among the public and backfired. Not because citizens rank institutional transgressions highly, but because such slips heighten the people’s existing displeasure about government policies. They boost the existing anger over the price of olive oil and electricity.
The institutional impropriety of 2009 was much talked about that summer, but only the government paid for it. Today, justice will also pay the price, which portends the worst for the country’s institutions.
