Editorial: Perks of power

It is an unwritten law of politics, that an “accident” can at times produce weightier repercussions than a “premeditated crime”.

The current political juncture appears to confirm that rule, as the “accident” of the revelation of rent subsidies for ministers has triggered developments in the government camp that had not been fueled by a series of other “crimes”: tax forays, wage and pensions cuts, and the hocking of state assets in a “Super-fund” for 99 years.

In politics, Murphy’s law applies: Whatever can go wrong will go wrong. The fact is that of late nothing is going according to government plan.

The government’s management of the FYROM name issue awakened the national reflexes of the public, while in its handling of the Novartis scandal, the government was exposed more than its opponents.

In each instance, the objectives were not achieved, but instead the effort boomeranged.

In politics, responsibility has a name and address. The responsibility for the rent subsidies debacle weighs on the prime minister, as does the “self-deception” of 2015, which placed the country under yet another bailout memorandum.

It was just a few days ago that the PM in parliament called upon his political opponents to assume the political responsibility for pharmaceutical expenditures spinning out of control.

The time has come for the prime minister himself to assume his responsibility, for extending the perks of power, in the middle of a crisis.