Stamatis Krimizis, who resigned yesterday from the presidency of the Hellenic Space Agency, needs no certificate of scientific accomplishment or of moral adequacy.
He offered once again, despite the contrary advice he received, to help his native land. Within weeks, however, he understood that SYRIZA’s state cannot tolerate accomplished scientists with integrity, but only controllable and subservient individuals and ministerial mouthpieces.
Krimizis’ letter of resignation is literally damning for the competent minister, Nikos Pappas, and SYRIZA’s deep state.
“I discerned a clear desire, and often insistence, to promote actions without evaluation, without meritocracy, far from international standards, to serve personal agendas and to cede complete control to the general secretary, who has assumed the role of “space czar”, with the toleration of the minister [Pappas],”
Decisions were taken in advance, and pre-selected employees, without experience and without transparent procedures, decided issues before the supposedly competent officials.
It seems that Mr. Krimizakis, with years of experience at NASA and service as an advisor to American presidents, had, for Mr. Pappas and his underlings, less experience and knowledge than was needed to create the Greek space programme.
The distinguished Greek scientist clearly hints about peculiar economic machinations.
There was announced in advance, he charges, a programme for 11 microsatellites, with a 23.9 euro budget, without studies, without specifications, without a plan for constructing infrastructure, without a realistic timetable, and without suitable personnel to implement the project.
He notes characteristically that even though he did not catch wind of anything criminally punishable, his experience in the US leads him to conclude “follow the money”.
It is not the first time, and probably not the last, that the SYRIZA government is implementing the most deplorable practices of the past.
It rose to power promising transparency and meritocracy, and accusing the “old” political system of scandals and suspect transactions, and it is following its predecesors’ worst practices.
It seems that the multifarious Mr. Pappas has greater knowledge of space, and is more experienced in the economic and scientific management of such programmes, than Mr. Krimizis, and he wants to completely control all the procedures with his political machine.
He did not learn his lesson from debacle of the broadcast television licensing tender, as he continues to have a surplus of arrogance and immodesty.
