The unprecedented scale of the disaster in the burnt areas in Ilia was referred to by the President of SYRIZA-PS, Alexis Tsipras during his statement to journalists during his tour there, while he attacked the Prime Minister, following his press conference today.
“Unfortunately, the scale of the disaster is beyond any estimate that one can make unless one comes to see it in person. In one week over a million acres of forestland have been burned. Possibly over 200 homes have been burned to the ground. This is the biggest environmental and man-made disaster that has taken place since the Second World War in such a short period of time,” he stressed.
Referring to what the Prime Minister said today, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: “I am very sorry but unfortunately I cannot find a response to the call I made two days ago for a minimum level of agreement on seriousness and responsibility.”.
“Listening today and seeing the Prime Minister, Mr Mitsotakis, I and every citizen feel more anxiety and more insecurity these days. He has not realized the magnitude of the disaster, he has not realized the magnitude of the weakness of the state mechanism and the incompetence of the executive state, and unfortunately he has not realized the magnitude of his responsibilities. There are some moments when the constant effort of embellishment and propaganda hits the wall of reality,” he said, stressing that “and now is such a moment, no more propaganda, no more embellishment, no more wooden words.”.
As he commented, “it is not possible, for example, at a time when our fellow citizens are asking for answers about today and tomorrow that awaits them, not only about what was to blame, to make an attempt to give an image of more funding for healing the wounds, while the money is less than before and with procedures that will eventually lead these people to be in debt to the banks.’.
“I am addressing an existential question of anguish for the people of the burnt areas, because it is not just a question of how they will spend a week, two weeks, a month. The question is how they will stay in their place, in the rural country that has been destroyed, how they will take their children to school, what jobs they will do to have a minimum income, a minimum guaranteed income to live on,” he continued, while he described the “seven-point proposal” he submitted as “a basis for a serious reconstruction plan.” “The anguish of the residents in the areas I visit is obvious,” he added, reiterating, he said, “once again, an appeal for seriousness and responsibility towards Mr Mitsotakis.”.
“And it would be better at this time instead of being surrounded by flatterers and instead of being led by statements of failure and tragedy, one would say, that is, not knowing the plan that has worked or saying that we will be better next year, let him come here,‘ he said, calling on him to ”talk to the people who have been affected, with the mayors, most of whom may be from his own party, to get a picture of reality.“ ‘It is the first step to realize the reality in order to take a step further to plan the next day,” he added and concluded by thanking and congratulating all the people on the front line and especially the volunteers, “those who ignored many times even the orders to move away at the risk of their lives to save what could be saved, to save property, to save human lives, to save animals.”.
“A big thank you to this wave, the volunteer movement of forest firefighters and the wave of volunteerism from all over the country that is currently giving hope and courage in the blackness of the natural environment,’ he concluded.
