Alexis Tsipras: «At this time the country has no government»

Harsh and comprehensive criticism of the government's treatment of the pandemic, to foreign policy issues but also to issues of the economy as well as transparency and the quality of democracy, the president of SYRIZA-PS, Alexis Tsipras.

Speaking to KONTRA CHANNEL and journalists George Melingoni and Anastasia Yamalis, he expressed his «deepest concern about the evolution of the pandemic, claiming that «at this time the country has no government».

On the management of the pandemic, Tsipras said, «A wrong model is being followed, the government has lost the ball and is not aware of what the citizen is going through. It faces the crisis with a communicative targeting...There is an attempt at creative accounting, with a macabre arithmetic...We did not say that the government created the crisis. The question is whether the government did everything possible to deal with the crisis or whether it acted as a multiplier of the crisis. The answer is that has acted as a multiplier...The trust of society has been broken.».

He accused the government of has instrumentalized the Committee of Infectious Diseases: «The committee of experts has been instrumentalised by the government and has lost the trust of society...We have asked for the minutes of the committee to be made public to protect it, as we have information that are under unbearable pressure to take the decisions that the government wants.». He noted that the responsibility lies with the government and not with science doing its job. He made it clear that we did not ask the government to make the minutes public, but that MPs and political parties should have access to them.».

Overall he said that «we have to think and reflect on what is wrong after five months of lockdown».

The Siemens complaint was wrong

For the complaint about the Siemens in relation to the self-test, he replied that there's a huge issue with direct assignments. He reported: «In this particular matter, there was placement of officers without prior verification of the complaint. We then said it was a mistake but let's see what happens with the tendersIn a number of ministries there is a party for the waste of public money. There is a orgy of assignments to companies that are made two days before they get the assignment. The champion is an ambitious politician, Ms. Sofia Nikolaou who was not elected in the last election. There hasn't been a day that he hasn't made a direct award...All of this has smell of scandal. It is a series of ministries that follow this policy.

One of the most critical issues is the assignments of Mr Mitarakis as well as the CISCO's commissioning of the training. Ms. Kerameos was telling us that the contract with CISCO is free but he wouldn't give us the contract. To discover finally that was not free but cost 2.000.000 euros and, more importantly, this company now has the data of 1.5 million citizens. If there had been any suspicion that this was happening at any other time, the tiles would have been broken. All in all, under the pretext of a pandemic, a regime of opacity is being created which is damaging democracy as a whole.».

But he also expressed concern about self-tests, given their limited reliability. He also referred to schools, saying that «they open and close in the wrong way, without reducing the number per class and without testing. I hope now that teachers will be vaccinated. He argued that we should to vaccinate the workers most at risk more generally, and who can spread the virus, such as tourism workers or couriers.».

He disputed the government's figures on vaccinations, saying that «we are behind in vaccination according to the New York Times and the New York Times. We have no reason to celebrate vaccinations, we are way behind.» But he blamed the EU, which, he said, had «messed up on the issue of vaccines». As for our country, he asked: «Couldn't we have both the Russian and Chinese vaccine?; Hungary and Slovenia got vaccines without approval...». He reiterated his proposal «abolish the misery of patent intellectual property that can save people. Since the methodology is there, the reason why vaccines are not mass produced is so as not to reduce the profits of the companies. However, human life comes first, not company profits.

He also argued that «the responsibility of the EU President and the Greek Commissioner, as well as that of Germany, which leads Europe, is significant... What Mr Mitsotakis was mocking about the patent was approved by most International Organizations but not by governments.».

For vaccination certificate, said it is important since 80% of the population has been vaccinated. Now the EU is saying we can give a green pass that will have the data recorded and when the last test was done. What we need to do is not the nonsense of a certificate but for the EU to put in as a uniform protocol that anyone coming into a country has had a molecular test.

Needs mobilise people and not SYRIZA

With irony he also commented on the accusation that SYRIZA is inciting the reactions to the closed shops in the excluded areas. «It is their life and their needs that push them to mobilise and not SYRIZA...If SYRIZA had been able to bring tens of thousands of people into the streets, it would have been one step closer to power. But the same people who blame him for the mobilizations say that based on the polls he is not in that position...».

He referred to the economy saying: «The biggest crime in the economy is that the government that gave the middle class a rabbit's foot is now finishing it off...We have the restaurant and retail sector closed for five months. Why would we mind having tables outside with precautions?; People can't bear to go a year without seeing anyone...We have followed a wrong model. The most critical of all, is the lack of financial support. The measures that the government has taken for the business world are aspirin measures. It's not 24 billion, it's 10 billion, the others are measures for ministers to announce and news reports to present are not amounts that have reached the professionals.

He noted that an accumulated debt has been built up during the pandemic and asked the question what to do with this debt. He announced that next week he would present his positions on the sustainable relaunch of small and medium-sized enterprises and support for professionals. The proposals include cancellation of debt created during the pandemic and a new bankruptcy law. He noted that if one in three businesses close down as is the grim prognosis, then the state will have nowhere to collect from.

He also referred to the recovery plan presented by the government, saying that «the government has no plan for industry and manufacturing. It has no commitment and focus on small and medium-sized entrepreneurship. When Mr. Skylakakis says that the lending will be done by the banks, the average entrepreneur understands that it does not concern him since today he cannot even go outside the banks...We accuse the government of having a unpopular agenda. That was his agenda from the beginning, but in these circumstances he should have accepted the proposals I put forward, at least had declared a political moratorium to avoid causing political and social tension.

‘Not only do they provoke with legislative interventions of a regime character, but they target their political opponents. They are preparing to bring in May a legislation, which declares war on the world of work and on society...The Southwest is behaving in the pandemic as if there is no tomorrow, as if they are in a hurry to complete all this reactive restructuring...

What I see is that uses the pandemic as an opportunity to promote unpopular planning demanding at the same time, under the pretext of the pandemic, to have no reaction. How can people not react? It is attempting to pass all the unpopular planning in the midst of a pandemic.

He repeated his complaints about the «mainstream media, saying that they are losing credibility and audience».

He referred to the recommendation of the Pre-Investigation Committee: «Why did SYRIZA fail on the media issue? I'm proud that SYRIZA has fought these struggles and succeeded to a certain extent in consolidating the television landscape, although he did not fully succeed in his policy... The Southwest is setting up two courts and sending a regime message: that anyone who tries to make rules and touch the core of corruption will be prosecuted...I see only one tactic out of the kitchens of the Mitsotakis family as in 1989-90. We respond to this message by saying that democratic citizens are opposed to this kind of tactics and understand what is going on... The atmosphere during the debate in Parliament on the benches of the Southwest was like a funeral...Because there are some businessmen who are obsessed and give orders?».

For the «Fourthiotis» case»

«The government's attitude creates a picture of chaos. We are living a picture of decadence with underworld people who have backed the government and are even threatening ministers, he said, referring to the «Furthiotis" case». He went on to explain: «I refer to the statement of Mr. Brutsi, who said that a TV presenter came to his office with threats and goons and instead of the police arresting him, they were with him. What are the relations of this gentleman with the power system of Mr Mitsotakis. What collusion does he have and can he have godfather behaviour; This whole picture is a picture of decadence. On the one hand the well-known director who has no name, on the other the well-known TV presenter. There should be answers to these.

On the harsh expressions heard during the debate of the Pre-Investigation Committee, he said: «I do not consider the New Democracy to be a party of doxologists, just as Kolokotronis was not a Syriza. In a political debate, exaggerations are also heard. The factions have their own history. The New Democracy is not a party of doxologists, just as SYRIZA is not the party of Koufontina, as we have been accused.».

Concern over Greek-Turkish relations

In response to a question, he said: «I am concerned about developments with the neighbour and we are concerned that the internal tension from the economic developments in Turkey may affect foreign policy and Greek-Turkish relations. My concern is a given, and it is growing because of the unstable and not robust attitude on the part of the Greek government. We have a government without a solid strategy.».

He argued that the government did not have a firm line on the issue of sanctions against Turkey and pointed out that the Gerapetritis statement on the six miles constitutes an abrogation of sovereign rights. He said that the penalties is a weapon but Turkey knows it won't be used and that's the worst thing. Continuing the criticism, he said that «the Aegean became a sieve of violations, while the strategic agreement with France did not progress».

He referred to the armaments, saying that they are used as a means of appeasing the allies and added: «Rafals are not what we need and now we are discussing with the US about frigates when these are not our needs.» He noted, however, that from a position of principle it is in favour of dialogue and referring the continental shelf dispute to The Hague».

On his own foreign policy, he said: «The country upgraded its geopolitical position during the five years of SYRIZA and left behind the positive Prespa Agreement, which some people fought against for political reasons. If it were not for the Agreement, Turkey would be on our northern border as it is on the southern border with the Turcolibre Pact.». He referred to the memoranda of understanding with North Macedonia saying: «I expect the 158 MPs of the Southwest to apologize, now that they will raise their hand and vote for the memoranda that result from this agreement.».

Realistic radicalism

On the opposition stance of SYRIZA, he said: «SYRIZA is a party in power, it is silly to say that it does not have the capacity to oppose or come back to power... But it is obliged to to adapt his radicalism to the framework of realism. To formulate a policy that is feasible but not one of the same. It will be a policy that addresses the problems. We have no ardent desire to occupy the chairs of power, what we want is to formulate a a plan to restart the economy for the benefit of the vast majority of society. We want to find the happy medium so that to make our radical programme a political reality.