Pavlos Papadatos
Be prepared, or risk being swamped by the waves! by Pavlos Papadatos*
Greek ship owners invested 6.7 billion euros during the first four months of 2015 for ship purchases and it is well known that they are ranked first in world shipping. Of course one of the main reasons for this world success is the fact that they basically have nothing to do with the Greek state. And our politicians, instead of learning their lesson from this example, not only do they not want to diminish the state, but they want to keep even the Piraeus port under state control, in order to exert their state-aid pro-labour union policy.
Unfortunately the government is not persuasive in saying that it aims – or that it is able to -turn our country into a modern, western competitive economy. Besides, no one is talking about improvement of the business climate and attraction of investments. And, of course, the way that the previous government sold Elliniko and some other organizations is not an investment, but on the contrary, a serious reason for no investor to approach our country.
Unfortunately corruption is not only cultivated by the “oligarchs” or by alleged bigwigs state-aid entrepreneurs, but from time to time by our corrupted politicians who tolerate the former and who burdened the country with a non viable debt. It is yet irrational and unfair for us to ask from other countries to cancel 50% of our debt while we could be claiming for the shifting of its payoff to 70 years, which would equal its reduction by 50%, without the lenders having to write their demands off.
We live in a country where no one wants a VAT rise, no one wants to pay the single property tax (ENFIA), no one wants to issue receipts, no one wants to pay the solidarity tax, no one wants to retire at 67, no one wants their profession to be released, but everyone wants “others” to pay (it’s always others’ fault) and after having taken their money away from the banks, now they accuse the Europeans that it’s their fault that the banks and the markets are dried up of cash!
Unfortunately with such mentality the country cannot move forward. Mr. Tsipras must leave the self-admirers and mainly the third-world clueless politicians that surround him behind and move forward to the radical restructuring of the country, in which education, justice and the state function in general is more than miserable.
Note
Chance of Grexit and return to drachma – which would equal a national disaster –of course there is not. Unfortunately it is an idea being cultivated by some Greek media, by the doddery opposition and of course by some quaint, but dangerous politicians who do not understand that if one doesn’t ride the wave he will be swamped.
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* The above is a free translation from the respective article in Greek published by REAL NEWS on Sunday 31 May 2015, which Greek readers can read too:
N.B.: The word Ellinikon in paragraph two refers to the old Athens Airport “Elliniko”.
