Greece: Who wants to be in Giorgaki's shoes?

By George Karasaridis

Last week’s political events in Greece could be described in two words, high drama, or if you prefer soap opera. Living in Greece today, it’s clear that our country is experiencing historic yet challenging times.

Pressure is part of a modern lifestyle; if we could tap and package the stuff we could probably use it to replace fossil fuels as an energy source. If we used the pressure analogy on Greece’s prime minister, George Papandreou, then we could say that his nuclear reactor was close to meltdown over the last few days.

Giorgaki (meaning “little George” in a derogatory context), as he’s known to the Greek people in the streets, is under extreme pressure. This is a man who has to fight on many fronts to save Greece from impending financial ruin. Sadly for almost two years the world has been a witness to Greece’s economic closet skeletons, but during the past week everyone’s become aware of its political problems too.

On the one hand Papandreou has had to deal with the “troika” (IMF, European Central Bank, European Commission), his creditors and the financial markets. In this axis I would also include the organised Greek business organisations. On the other axis, he’s been facing pressure from Greek opposition parties, labour unions, civil servants and sections of civil society affected most by his austerity measures such as the unemployed, pensioners etc.

But in the past few months new tensions have emerged from a third axis, dissent within his government, and more broadly from his socialist Pasok party. To be sure these tensions have always existed but last Wednesday’s public spat, whereby members of his party were openly disputing his leadership credentials, was not a pretty sight.

Greece’s partners within the EU are following events very closely, knowing full well that the “Greek problem” has already turned into an EU problem. Greece’s economy may be small, but a debt default would send shockwaves through the financial markets. Ultimately the whole Euro project could become an issue with far reaching economic, as well as geo-political implications. If one country was forced to leave the European Monetary Union, what would stop it from exiting the EU altogether?

My own view is that Papandreou missed a historic opportunity last week to form a grand coalition government with his main opposition rivals. Papandreou opted instead to reshuffle his cabinet and called for a vote of confidence. Assuming he passes the vote test this week, one gets the impression of Papandreou prolonging the crisis and playing for time.

What Greece actually needs is a united effort, a legitimate punch. Today Greece is at war and its enemy is the (very real) prospect of a financial meltdown. We need a government of national unity and we need technocrats, not politicians, to run our economic affairs. We need to limit the bloated inefficient civil service, we need to restructure our education system, we need a new strategy that will allow our economy to grow in a sustainable manner, but more importantly we need leaders with vision that show courage and decisiveness.

Now is the time for the Greek people to re-evaluate past sins, to ask the difficult questions and to formulate a strategy that will take us as a nation forward. This would probably entail changing some clauses in the Greek Constitution.

Yes we want our children and our parents to have a future, we want to live with the dignity and the respect that our forefathers bequeathed us, but we must do it in a united manner. We have no time for party politics and old school political “fat cats”. The interests of the nation must come first.

Giorgaki must decide if he wants to be the Greek prime minister, and if that is so, then he must make the decisions that are in the nation’s best interests. No matter how painful they may be and no matter what the implications of his political future are.

These are historic times for Greece and ultimately history will decide if George Andreas Papandreou was a brave leader or not.

George Karasaridis is a Greek businessman and social commentator.