The surprise appointment of Gikas Hardouvelis as Ministry of Finances guarantees the continuation of the financial policy and indicates to partners and creditors that Greece will not deviate from its obligations.
Additionally, it guarantees that negotiations for the debt will be conducted within a European framework and there not be any maximalist demands, like those insinuated by the IMF’s pundits on the other side of the Atlantic.
There are no haircuts, only debt extensions and interest rate reductions.
That is how the Prime Minister proposed and the Vice President accepted Mr. Hardouvelis without any major disagreement, because he is well-aware of the nature of the upcoming negotiations.
It is clear that by choosing Mr. Hardouvelis, Mr. Samaras and Mr. Venizelos wanted to finish with the external front.
All of their other changes aim to affect the internal front. Ministers who had a provocative stance and discourse left, just like others who had not submitted to the overall populist atmosphere. It is impressive that even Athanasios Tsaftaris was replaced, who was possible the best Minister of Agriculture of the past decades.
On the contrary the populists and yellers were rewarded, in effort to entertain the bad impressions from the European election results.
As time goes by it becomes obvious that the major reconstruction problem of this country is politics.
The political system is balancing on a tightrope between what is appropriate and keeping up with appearances.
This balancing may well turn out to be fatal. At some point either the tightrope will broke or the acrobats will lose their balance.
The country needs clear solutions and clear words.
So long as the current system does not offer them, it will expose itself and constantly retreat until the conditions for the development of new powers which will be capable of asserting a claim for power, by highlighting the truth and proposing a plan and reliable program.
Those participating in the political game should not kid themselves, they are not alone anymore.
There are special, insightful people out there ready to take up real action.
Antonis Karakousis
