Prime minister Alexis Tsipras and main opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis were both interviewed in a New York Times special tribute focusing on the challenges to democracy and, unsurprisingly, had opposite things to say about Greek politics.
The prime minister stressed that Greece’s comeback sends a strong message on how to harness the powers of democracy and place trust in the people’s determination to build a better future in order to overcome difficulties.
Tsipras stressed that the global financial crisis led the political establishment into a trap. It left policy-making and decision making in the hands of technocrats and the nefarious bodies of unelected advisors.
“This was as my ancient ancestors would say, hubris,” the PM said. “Because in these crucial times, societies have been left behind, and at the same time our people were repeatedly asked to make sacrifices without any positive effects in their lives in the foreseeable future”.
In these circumstances, Tsipras says, the enemies of democracy and its values, the far-right, the fascists, and the neo-nazis tend to gain ground in our societies. “This cannot be tolerated. Therefore, we have a collective duty to make things right”.
Talking about the Greek people’s attitude towards the recession, Tsipras claims that they chose to turn their back on extreme austerity and recession policies that were implemented by political forces that ignored the people’s will.
He then goes on to list his government’s achievements in the past three years (growth rate at 2%, unemployment down by almost 7%, direct foreign investments of €4 billion by the end of 2017) and ends with the strong message a “Greek comeback” sends to the world.
Main opposition New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on the other hand, speaking to the New York Times, had a very different narrative concerning Greece’s political state. He says that Greece was the first country that was engulfed by -and eventually voted for- populist forces into power in 2015.
“Most European countries, in particular those that were faced with similar challenges, were able to keep populists relatively at bay; in the legislative branch of government, but at least away from the executive,” Mitsotakis stresses out.
“Greece was unfortunate in this respect and to this day its democratic institutions and processes remain constantly under attack. But three years down the road, both civil society and the political class have been able to shed light on the path to normalcy,” he said.
He blames populist SYRIZA of taping into civil discontent and frustration and blames “the effective bankruptcy of the public sector and the state for upending “some Greek norms, in particular the very unhealthy and awkward mix of clientelism and state interference in the private economy.”
“As a result, hundreds of thousands of people became unemployed and elements of the social contract disrupted as pensions and other public benefits were slashed,” Mitsotakis noted in the end of his interview.
Source: AMNA
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