The legendary incident with famous Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis is mentioned by singer-songwriter Dionysis Savvopoulos in his autobiography: In 1979, Hadjidakis, as director of the acclaimed Third Program – the public radio station of Greece’s state broadcaster ERT, which mainly broadcasts classical music and culture – is playing Savvopoulos’ new 15-minute song titled “A Long Zeibekiko for Nikos,” which had been censored, every day. The phones at the radio station are ringing off the hook, with associates of the then minister Athanasios Tsaldaris asking the station to stop playing it. Hadjidakis is unmoved. Eventually, the minister himself calls. Hatzidakis listened to him “sullen, gloomy and without uttering a word.” At one point he asked the minister if he was finished. And when Tsaldaris said “Yes,” Hadjidakis responded: “Minister, you are an idiot!” And he just hung up the phone.
In the massive farm subsidy scandal – known in Greece as the OPEKEPE scandal, from the acronym of the agency embroiled in the fraud – with the number of lawmakers from the ruling New Democracy party named in the probe increasing, it becomes apparent that clientelism played a key role. There are dozens of phone calls to and fro, with dialogues repeated over time, for the “arrangement” of requests from constituents. “He is a friend of G…, 100% his man,” one said. Another said, “S.. will be useful to us, you should look into his issue.” Even OPEKEPE’s electronic system was bypassed to “do manually” whatever was required. The “arrangements” and favors were nonstop. And if any “link” in the chain reacted by invoking legality, he was either forced to come to his senses or was sidelined.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office’s new case files are extremely incriminating for the individuals involved, and forced a government reshuffle.
The reference to Hadjidakis is not made to provoke often repeated comments about the stature and bravery of a unique man, but for this small key phrase at the end of that story: “He just hung up the phone.” When the subordinate is left unprotected and alone but calm with his conscience that he did the right thing, which state mechanism is on his side? Why is the system of illegality, of “our own people,” the “useful” and the “cronies,” so well protected, while those who refuse to obey orders that are obviously illegal remain exposed? And where does this system derive the certainty that illegality and the distortion of reality will remain invisible and unpunished?
No matter how many reforms are made, no matter how many MP immunities are lifted, clientelism will continue to exist, to various degrees, depending on the times. “Hanging up the phone” will indicate the limits and mentalities, not only of politicians but also of institutions.
