Politics amid the stench of garbage
The ink had not yet dried on Kathimerini’s front-page stories about the political parties’ increasing lack of credibility and the public’s loss of faith in the political process, when the political party leaders dove into a debate yesterday that exacerbated an already dangerous situation for democracy. As the stench from the garbage on Athenian streets intensified, none of the political party leaders bothered to mention the municipal workers’ strike that has caused so many problems for millions of Athenians. It might be in the government’s interest to keep quiet on the issue, but the opposition leader’s silence has been surprising. This may be because previous PASOK governments bear enormous responsibility for the problem. The garbage collectors’ strike – something which is customary on the eve of public holidays – has reminded us that the state has never provided any credible solution to the problem of waste collection and management. Every so often, the nation’s capital is submerged by garbage because a link in the complex chain that has been set up (and naturally, never actually designed) threatens the health of millions of people due to the demands of a particular vested interest group. Whether it is the municipal workers or garbage dump workers or the municipal authorities in Ano Liosia, where the sole waste dump in the whole of Attica is situated, someone is always responsible for creating ghastly living conditions for millions of Greek citizens. The problem is purely a political one. The political parties have a duty to present proposals in order to solve it. The government has a duty to do something to correct this malodorous situation. That is what the main opposition party, above all, should be saying. Let political party leaders go to Macedonia if they like. No doubt the unemployment problem there is truly explosive. But before they go, they should take a look outside their own front doors.
