Political life, along with the entire country, is gradually descending into the cesspool arising out of the Novartis scandal.

There can be no doubt that there was waste of public funds with excessive expenditures on drugs for a long period.

The crucial question is whether, beyond the obvious political responsibilities, there are specific political divs who managed the critical health sector, and bear criminal responsibility.

All that has come to light from the judicial files that were sent to parliament, raise many questions about their seriousness and credibility.

There was testimony offered in instalments up until the eve of the transmission of the file to parliament, targeted leaks in pro-government media, and a focus of the government on incriminating particular individuals.

The machinations and procedures followed do not persuade one that the objective is a cleansing and attribution of responsibility to those who are truly guilty, but rather the creation and maintenance of a polarised political cimate, with an eye to the next general elections.

Given this seedy setting, many doubts arise as to whether we shall ever truly learn the truth, and whether responsibility will be attributed to those to whom it truly belongs.

What is certain is that we have entered a political period dominated by attacks, mudslinging, and a war to finish off the opponent.

This is the worst possible development for a society that has suffered incredibly during the years of the crisis, especially when the citizenry have turned their backs on politics, and to a large degree already harbour disdain for the political system.

In a period in which the country and the economy are in need of calm and stability, so that we might manage to free ourselves of the current regime of suffocating supervision, the government has opened a Pandora’s box.

The country is entering, once again, a climate of intense division and disappointment, which benefits only populists and putative anti-system saviours, who are waiting to grab their opportunity.

A new vicious circle is opening because what prevails is not the national interest, but rather petty partisan, governmental motives.

They do not realise, however, that in this manner, and with such methods, they are not undermining the credibility of their opponents, but are rather discrediting politics in general, and offer fodder to those who wish to undermine democracy and its institutions.