The government does not appear to have realized that the country’s path and people’s endurance will not only be determined by the agreement with the creditors, but also the management of daily burdens. The tactic of ignoring or sweeping issues under the rug will only result in existing problems being exacerbated and getting out of hand.
That is the case with both the legal and makeshift refugee camps that have been set up. In Idomeni the huge refugee shantytown almost operates like a… sovereign state. It has its own laws, its own protection systems and very few police officers there idly watch as everything unfolds.
It has been two months since the main railway line that connects the country to Europe has been shut down, causing major losses to import and logistics companies, but nobody is batting an eyelid.
Similar phenomena are taking place in Elliniko, another huge warehouse of souls, near the heart of the city. In the port of Piraeus the situation remains tragic, despite the repeated promises that the refugees would have been evacuated by Easter. The situation on islands such as Lesvos and Chios, which have undertaken a major burden in this refugee crisis, is not much better, with the threat of a social explosion looming.
Nobody doubts that Greece is called upon the manage a refugee crisis that goes well above the county’s capabilities. But is also clear that while state services operated in a organized fashion for a period, due to pressure from Europe, we have now reverted to chaos. No initiatives, constant cover-ups and wishful thinking.
It is absurd for a country that managed a wave of hundreds of thousands of refugees to be unable to manage the 40,000 refugees stranded within our borders.
Enough with the ministers constantly coming up with excuses to avoid tackling the problem.
The realization that the Greek people is standing in solidarity is one thing, but the government must finally assume its responsibilities.
TO VIMA
