There is no doubt that the pension system is a major problem for the progress of the country, the economy and – of course – society. It is a system based on clientelism and partisanship that has reached its limits and any intervention will have painful effects for current and future pensioners.
The interventions in recent years may have kept the system running, but is clear that it cannot be maintained in the future. That is because when some tried to sound the alarm, with few exceptions, the parties, politicians, employer representatives and society itself stood up against any reform that aimed to make it viable. Today we are forced to pay dearly for this denial, this temporary comfort; more so the newer generations, which, plagued by unemployment and underemployment, view the future with uncertainty.
The details leaking about the government plan that will be presented in the next few weeks are not encouraging about what the future has in store. The red lines come and go, half truths are being heard, but nobody appears to dare to speak the truth about the situation we are currently in and what needs to be done.
The age of brushing everything under the rug is over, just like the age of easy benefits depending on the pressure each social group could apply. With 2.8 million pensioners and 3 million employees the pension system is a constant threat to the foundations of society and the economy.
The brave reform that is necessary demands a broad political and social debate, bold and consensual solutions. It is the government’s duty and responsibility to seek out a debate and consensus – without any coercion or petty political interests being put forward. If it truly wants a sustainable solution for the pension system, then it must first tell the people the truth about what they will be forced to endure. Because if the focus is on the political cost, the government with neither solve the pension reform problem, nor avoid the attrition and reactions…
TO VIMA
