A bubble, then. That’s the only honest name for the so-called reform the government so proudly presents as a “revolutionary tool for improving public administration.”
They claim they want to reward the “hardworking and conscientious,” punish the indifferent, and, of course, let citizens rate public services as if they were ordering gyros through Wolt. But behind the glossy announcements, the case of Paraskevi Tycheropoulou screams louder than any press release: “Evaluation? No, thank you.”
Here we have a public servant who did exactly what Mitsotakis’ administration supposedly celebrates — she demonstrated diligence, integrity, and tried to protect public funds from shady practices and procedural irregularities within OPEKEPE, the agricultural payments agency. And what was her reward?
Demotion, three disciplinary charges (two of which were “strategically frozen”), a lawsuit, and a quiet exile to the protocol office — far away from computers, files, or any meaningful task.
They even stripped her of access to the information systems, as if she were a hacker, not a senior internal auditor. It’s the bureaucratic equivalent of punishing someone for catching the thief in your own closet.
And the most absurd part? While Greece’s official registry (DIAVGEIA) labels her as “inadequate,” European Chief Prosecutor Popi Papandreou takes her under legal protection to unravel the threads of corruption.
That’s right — Europe found her so “inadequate” that they made her a key collaborator in an anti-corruption investigation. If that’s not irony of Kafkaesque proportions, then the term has lost all meaning in the black hole of the Greek state apparatus.
Let’s not kid ourselves: the system’s version of “evaluation” isn’t searching for honest employees. It’s hunting for obedient pawns.
People who look the other way when things are greased, who nod politely when a local party crony needs a subsidy “arranged,” who stamp files without ever asking questions. Anyone who dares to lift their head and say “no” becomes a target — and Tycheropoulou is a textbook example.
And to close with a sharper laugh: the government clearly fears women with metaphorical trousers — those who wear heels and open files, not hide behind string bikinis and political nepotism.
Tycheropoulou is precisely that kind of woman — one who pierced through the arrogant patriarchy with a dossier of hard evidence.
So, dear citizens, next time you’re prompted to log into axiologisi.ypes.gov.gr and rate a public service, remember: the lowest rating doesn’t belong to the employee who dares to speak, but to the system that trains them to remain silent.
And if you refuse to comply, beware — you too might be called “inadequate.”
Because in Greece 2025, honesty is not a career — it’s a form of resistance.
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