In the aftermath of the Tempe railway disaster in Greece, the affected area was covered up by the state to conceal vital evidence, with a proper investigation case in pursuit of justice losing momentum, according to the Association of Victims of the Tempe Accident.
By Steve Bakalis and Despoina Limniotaki
The cover-up is aligned perfectly with the quote by Theodore Roosevelt, “A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad,” suggesting that without formal education, an individual may resort to crime or unethical behavior, while the intricate knowledge gained through higher education may also lead to the manipulation of systems, exploitation of loopholes, and engagement in more significant acts of deception or corruption.
It may have been kept quiet so far, but the information given by Maria Karystianou, the mother of a 20-year-old girl burned in Tempe, in the midst of all this, is shocking.
Maria Karystianou, who is also the president of the Accident Victims Association, revealed that in response to the association’s extrajudicial hearing, there were confessions of high-level bureaucrats that they were carrying out the orders of their superiors in the follow-up of the disaster.
In this spirit, the association was founded with the main purpose of providing a united front for the pursuit of justice and as a tribute never to forget these children who left so unjustly at the hands of a criminal and corrupt state.
“I am not blind,” stated the President of the Association Maria Karystianou. “I am a person with critical thinking and logic and I know very well about corruption in justice. When a crime also involves politicians, I am very wary of whether justice will be able to do its job impartially. I do not hide from you that so far, personally, I am not at all pleased with the actions of the justice system.”
“The world, on the other hand, stood by us from the first moment,” she said. “It felt our pain, felt our rage, as if imagining itself of the victims as their own passengers on that train. Think every summer how many young children take the train to go to the nearby beaches of the area, how many tourists, and of course all of us. All potential victims of an accident, those who knew….they were waiting for it to happen…The Tempe disaster is the result of chronic corruption and the quagmire our society has sunk into…Citizens who are disturbed by corruption have also been deeply hurt by this crime.”
The railway disaster in Greece and the impunity of politicians
Against this background, the Hellenic Parliament finally proceeded to set up a parliamentary investigation committee to “investigate the crime at Tempe and all related aspects.”
The committee elected ruling New Democracy MP Dimitris Markopoulos to serve as chair, with ND MP Katerina Papakosta-Polioura as deputy chair and Anastasios Bartzokas as secretary. The ruling majority rejected proposals for cross-party representation in the chair and declared that the responsibilities, as far as politicians are concerned, be limited to the then leadership of the Ministry of Transport under K. Karamanlis from Serres, who was reelected at the recent election.
However, the cross-party consideration of a case in which the deceased are involved must ensure a comprehensive examination, and specifically: a) the representation of different groups as a way of fairness in holding accountable those involved; b) objectivity in how this will be communicated to the involved parties and the citizens of the country; and c) facilitating the planning of preventive actions for the future.
But mainly it gives the message that the perennial pathologies of the political system in terms of bipolarity (‘us or ‘the others’) and the silent complicity must stop here. We now have, as a country, the maturity and social responsibility to bend over the problem and not just over the culprits, in order to avoid future tragedies.
It should be noted that the Greek way contrasts sharply with the independence of such investigations in other countries, such as e.g. Australia. A Royal Commission in Australia is an inquiry, independent of the government, into a matter of great importance. Royal Commissions have broad powers to hold public hearings, subpoena witnesses and compel evidence, and make recommendations to the government about what needs to change.
A case in point was the February 2020 passenger train derailment, and the Royal Commission’s independent report made thirty-seven findings, including identifying fifteen safety issues that contributed to the derailment.
It is important for the inquiry into the causes of the Tempe tragedy to adopt international best practices, as the current process is biased by obvious conflicts of interest, does not account for the victims and the parliamentary inquiry, and does not have the tools and expertise to make recommendations to prevent similar disasters.
The impunity of political figures is not consistent with morality or democracy, which we are proud of as Greeks, and it is in complete contrast to the practice of ostracism of Ancient Athens which was designed as a guarantee for the protection of democracy and institutions. Against the darkness of the tragedy of Tempe, we must stand with historicity and dignity— “To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth,” as Voltaire wrote.
Despoina Limniotaki is a Social Psychologist and the Executive Consultant/Councilor in the Municipality of Athens.
Dr. Steve Bakalis is an expert on policy economics. He has held adjunct appointments with the Australian National University and the University of Adelaide, and appointments in universities of the Asia Pacific and Gulf regions.
Related: Panel of Experts Releases Report on Deadly Rail Crash in Greece
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