Stefanos Manos, a former minister who died on August 15 at the age of 86, had political, technocratic and leadership skills, as well as acumen, but he also had insight and could perceive how times changed – a rarity for a Greek politician. [Nikos Kokkalias]
Stefanos Manos, who died on August 15 at the age of 86, was a visionary politician, who did not belong to his miserable and timid era, but believed in a different future era, where Greece would soon evolve into a decent and modern country, with principles, institutions and endogenous economic development.
He warned repeatedly about the impending economic threats, he proposed radical solutions to prevent it from happening, and did a lot while he was in government. Manos warned along with some, then few politicians from other political parties, who were also alerting everyone to the upcoming – visible and painful – economic, political, institutional and cultural bankruptcy of Greece. No one wanted to listen to anyone, as the defeated Greek society was in a state of generalized carelessness, deafness and blindness.
He was a politician with substance and insight who could see beyond the mountain. He was guided only by the faith that drives one toward a goal – that is, to reduce Greece’s historical lag from the rest of Europe. He knew that this could not be achieved with demagoguery, populism and deceptive spin, employed by professionals of all kinds in the private and public sector who are ruining the country. Manos will remain a symbol of clear and honest political discourse.
