The crossroads where Greece is now is particularly very critical. Reforms at both economic and administrative levels are progressing but their implementation due to political party costs is slow.
What are missing from Greece are the people who have a vision to change Greece and break the bonds with the past.
While some things seemed to get better in early 80s, all came back in time when PASOK came to power, and Greece experienced a new type of sultanism not as authoritarian as was in the Communist Balkans era, but definitely disastrous for its future.
But populism in Greece is not PASOK’s exclusive creator. The first three political parties in Greece had a family character and a direct connection with the great powers of that time. Their main concern was not the development of the country but the satisfaction of their interests and power, not a good administration but power.
Greece lost the train of the Industrial Revolution, and the poor, hungry and uneducated people were looking for ways to survive while some other ways to be permanently in power and in the exclusive management of foreign loans.
Infrastructures were not made, Athens as a new capital became the shelter of those who wanted to be close to power. A huge bureaucracy has already been created threatening the structure of the Greek state. It is known that bureaucracy requires taxes, and an unnecessary and inactive bureaucracy requires many and unfair taxes.
Let us not insist on the old and known problems and let us come to today in Greece. Our country needs key political decisions, not fanfares and hollow promises.
Expensive Olympic properties is rotting, unemployment is high, domestic production is still very low, brain drain is on process, demographic problem is on the rise and threatens Europe as well.
I agree with the reforms of the European Commission and institutions for public administration but without production and direct foreign investments how this country will come out of the tunnel of underdevelopment?
The main pillar of a major change is the education system and do not forget that all the great changes and revolutions all over the world come from the spiritual and economic elites.
Maybe sometime you had been asked yourself where the economic and spiritual elites of this country have been so many years ago? I would like to answer by asking you what would be the fate of such great personalities as were Emmanuel Pappas, E. Benakis, Ch.Trikoupis, Kapodistrias, El.Venizelos in Greece even in our days after the completion of the last three memorandums?
Greece needs a new generation of economic and intellectual elite, but this is not achieved without targeted financial support and direct foreign investments with a high technological profile as well. The Greek society has to make a focus on production and not on the party state to survive, in other words, to follow a reverse course in relation to the past.
The rural world of Greece, recycling, tourism and many other sectors of the Greek economy need capital, knowledge and a bureaucracy as a helper and not as a local ruler of the Ottoman Empire. Many laws of the Greek state have to change and become tighter against inactive and illegal operation of bureaucracy.
To change the situation in bureaucracy, more computerization is needed and this needs to be accelerated. The development of technology will help Greece to get rid of occult decisions, lost documents and statutes of limitation in illegal acts faster and in better and more right way.
But technology is not always beneficial for a man. People need a human and safe urban plan. The urban environment in Greece and mainly in Athens shows the chaos that prevailed in the country at all levels. The Acropolis is not a creation of neo-Greeks, but the Acropolis must once again give a new kick in order our cities to have more public spaces and more beautiful buildings. Our country needs people with vision and will for work to make cities more beautiful, enjoyable and charming to tourists.
In general, Greece wants Greeks to have vision, faith and patience. Greece is still looking for Hellas, which can be found in every corner of the earth. Europe became having many fundamentals from Hellenic education.
If Hellas is lost then, Europe will be lost and that is well known to historians and spiritual people who believe in a Europe of peace and democracy.
Democracy and peace needs people who care about society and social development and this in turn needs a good and efficient educational system based on meritocracy.
