A moment of honesty

We witnessed a moment of political honesty when Migration Policy Minister Yiannis Mouzalas admitted in a radio interview on Wednesday evening that he had been wrong to protest against the conditions facing migrants awaiting deportation when Nikos Dendias, now a New Democracy MP, was citizens’ protection minister.

Mouzalas admitted that now he is a minister himself he understands it is not an easy problem to solve. The prime minister and most members of the cabinet should follow his example. They caused the country major harm through their behavior in opposition. Now they are on the other side of the fence and have come to appreciate reality. They realize how criminal some of the things they said while in opposition – such as labeling the government a “junta” and its members “traitors” – actually were.

An apology, like the one Mouzalas made, would have considerable value if the government also abandoned the divisive language that it turns to whenever it runs into problems.