The Public Power Company, the notorious DEI, is likely to be divided up and sold. Perhaps some believe that selling off the silverware will save the rest of the household! DEI however is neither a household, nor does it have any silverware. This public company has a history though…
DEI fed the monster.
Since its foundation, at the start of the 1950s, during General Alexandros Papagos and Konstantinos Karamanlis’ reign, the company’s affairs were scandalous or at the very least provocative. Every change in government was associated with accusations from every side.
Even newly-installed governments, that barely assumed power, were accused of scandalous commissions and contracts with DEI.
Take the example of Ioannis Zigdis, who is 1964 faced the furor for DEI’s wind turbines and achieved something rather unique. By taking advantage of the departure of the main opposition’s (ERE) MPs from Parliament he managed to pass 17 industrial bills – in one night!
In recognition of the presumption of innocence for most of DEI’s managers that followed, we cannot ignore the 500 million drachma gift that the Prime Minister at the time, Andreas Papandreou, spoke of when he complained at the company’s board of directors about a PASOK DEI unionist, which stayed in History (his name doesn’t matter anymore…).
With such a history, none of the foreign modern pirates (and their Greek companions) should think about grabbing DEI. The government and opposition have a duty to protect the public property from the foreign pirates, as well as the domestic bears, that obviously believe that they can make a profit from all this mess…
Stavros P. Psycharis
Originally published in the Sunday print edition
