The prime minister may have chosen to remain in the security of his office – with the exception of the pitiful communications-oriented conference on the night of the tragedy – but his choice partner in the ruling coalition, Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, undertook the task of representing him.
Shamelessly, and with no sense of responsibility, he launched a miserable, and unprecedented for such circumstances, attack against the survivors of the disaster, in order to skirt the responsibility of the government.
He went as far as to engage in finger-pointing at those still mourning their relatives and friends, offering lessons on abiding by the law and audaciously declaring, “After such a tragedy, it is high time that they understand how dangerous it is for them and their families not to abide by the laws and rules.”
This appears to be the line of defence chosen by the government, in a bid to limit, as it believes, the outcry and to shift its responsibilities.
It is not the disorganisation, the lack of co-ordination, and the inability to predict and protect that are to blame, according to the government, but rather the dread climate change, and society, which builds illegally, wherever and however it can.
Undoubtedly, there are extreme weather conditions and problems with illegal construction. That could explain the intensity of the fire, but it does not justify the death of dozens of our fellow human beings because no one thought of issuing a warning, because no one organised, as they were obliged to do, firefighting efforts.
Obviously, there are diachronic responsibilities for the situation of lawless construction that was never confronted. But the current government did exactly the same thing.
Pro-government newspapers were touting measures to facilitate the legalisation of illegal buildings, with titles such as, “The boss has gone mad”.
As many excuses that the luminaries of the government may put forth, as many asymmetrical threats that they may invoke, and as many secret agents and arsonists they may discover, the responsibilities remain, and they will chase them until they are attributed to those who are responsible.
