The need for modernization

of the party-political system (I)

Greece has a party-political system that keeps the country captive, prevents it from developing and, why not, from taking the lead. The necessary consensus and the required syntheses for the obvious are missing. Continuity and consistency in the operation of key institutions are lacking (for example, in education). In addition, in many cases society moves ahead and the party-political system follows - if it follows - panting.

The need for party-political modernization is a matter of survival for Hellenism. For this reason, Greek society must demand and impose modernization on the party-political system. Some examples of political modernization are the following:

A) Some of the privileges granted to the staff of the party-political system should be abolished (high salaries, car, telephone, many employees, etc.).

B) The party-political personnel must stop treating the state as spoils. Predatory party rule must end.

C) The party politicization of the state and the statization of the party must end. These situations are reminiscent of banana republics in Latin America and tribal states in Africa. They also recall the former socialist/communist countries, where the party seized the state and tyrannized society.

D) The personnel of the party-political system should be significantly reduced. In proportion to its population, the country should have: a) not 300 but 100 MPs, b) not 50-60 but 10-12 ministers, c) not hundreds of party general secretaries but only one in each ministry, d) not 700 thousand but 300 thousand public employees, e) not black money but only legal money in the parties, etc.

As can be seen, the party-political system is mainly concerned with the division of power. Fortunately, the Left also governed, and we saw what it was capable of. Among other things, we saw Alexis Tsipras taking vacations on a yacht, smoking his cigar, exactly like a capitalist. So the Left governed, and by the results it governed worse than the Right.

We are living through the fourth industrial-technological revolution. Developments are rapid. Society is racing to keep up so it does not fall behind. If the party-political system crawls like a turtle while technology and the developments it entails race like a hare, there is a problem. A big problem, because it is holding society back and preventing it from following developments.

And yet the party-political system ought to be at the forefront. It ought to lead developments. And since, according to logic, technological and other developments are inescapable, they will inevitably sweep away the existing aged and lagging party-political system.

More specifically, the left party-political system resists almost every modernization. But usually the cunning of the left system puts party trade unionists in front. In this way, it seems that the unions are resisting and not it. In other words, left-wing party unionism 'does the dirty work,' to borrow the phrase of the general secretary of the KKE.

Perhaps the most characteristic case of union cretinism is the refusal of evaluation - meritocracy - transparency. They have been refusing it for forty years, because if it is introduced, the flotsam will stop floating.

The appallingly low quality of party-political personnel is the main factor in the country's political underdevelopment. Because political power, namely parliament and government, through legislation sets the framework within which all sectors of society operate, political underdevelopment results in the country's overall underdevelopment.

A clear proof of political underdevelopment, always present: the government and the opposition do not clash over principles, values, or programs, but over the division of power. They quarrel over who will seize power so as to reap its privileges. In other words, the fight is over the chair of power.

All of the above, and much more, are known to the party-political personnel. But the existing underdevelopment suits them, because it allows them to continue enjoying their privileges.

The Mitsotakis government has shown signs of modernization. However, better and faster steps are needed. For the country to develop, bold reforms are needed now (to be continued).

Pavlos Marantos

marantosp@gmail.com