The tragedy of the train to Tempi once again highlighted the enormous chronic pathologies of the Greek state: mismanagement, project delays, bureaucracy, uselessness, lack of professional conscience, washcloths and volatility. The price of this situation is unbearable and, unfortunately, is repeated. The value of the life of Greek citizens turns out to be secondary! The suspicion of the townspeople is that if we scratch the varnish covering other places or bodies a little, we will face the same chaos that we find on the railways. On the other hand, are we satisfied with other sectors managed by the Greek state? Are we satisfied with the health system and the state of our hospitals, where doctors and nurses have exceeded the limits of human endurance? Or are we satisfied with urban transport and passenger transportation conditions? Or are we even satisfied with the level of our education, where without endless hours of tutoring and high financial costs to the family, higher education is unattainable even for good students?

The changes needed to correct the state and the services it offers with the money of the Greek people are tectonic. And that’s the problem, because they come at a very high political cost, and the opposition is used to embellishing, rightly or wrongly, any reform. Indeed, it has been proved that in our country any party that single-handedly tries to change a deeply rooted situation will face an insurmountable wall of denial that other parties will erect. The last time in our country there were profound changes in the state of the memorandums imposed on us, since, unfortunately, we alone were unable to implement these changes precisely because of political costs. Subsequently, despite the fact that the implementation of these changes was forced by creditor partners in exchange for financing the country in a state of bankruptcy, these changes were made possible by the formation of coalition governments and alternation in management from all sides. democratic arch. These governments were not of the same level, and serious mistakes were made, while the sacrifices of the Greek people were heavy, but the end result was the salvation of the country and the return of our derailed economy to European normality and recovery. It becomes clear that no government can bring about profound changes in the state if it does not represent the overwhelming majority of the Greek people. Recent events show that there is always the risk of a collapse, this time, of the country. State pathologies, insecurity, insecurity, frustration, citizen anger, and the use of all these negative emotions by astute institutions or individuals can lead to unpredictable, extreme situations that lead to great consequences. social and political upheavals. This, in turn, can cause a new economic collapse and the collapse of what has been built in recent years with great loss of citizens. And, finally, to reverse the positive prospects that are opening up in our country. On the outside, this would weaken Greece’s position on the international chessboard, especially against a strong and difficult neighbor.

Can we change Greece this time without measures imposed on us from abroad, that is, without new memorandums, without disagreements? Can we lead the country further by taking responsibility for rebuilding the Greek state on our own and with reference to the best international experience? If so, then it is our patriotic duty to demonstrate maturity, constructive spirit, patience and perseverance in building programmatic cross-party cooperation through political consensus formulas that will highlight what unites us as Greeks. So that our country takes a firm step into the 21st century and finally gets a modern, efficient, liberal, but also social state that we deserve, that is, a state of security for its citizens.

* Mr. Panos Karvounis – President of the Citizens’ Movement for an Open Society, former Head of the EU Delegation. in Greece.