“The State cannot be defenseless against the natural disasters that are intensified by the climate crisis“, emphasized the president of the SYRIZA PS Committee, Sokratis Famellos, in an interview with the radio station “To Kokkino Thessaloniki”, commenting that “the climate crisis that the ND did not recognize in Mandra and Mati, but is now recognized by Mr. Mitsotakis”.

He emphasized that prevention, planning and strengthening of the State and thus of the Public should be threefold, while he argued that the recent fires showed that the government was not ready to face natural disasters, contrary to what Mr. Mitsotakis stated a month ago, during his visit to the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection. He spoke of management with communication tricks by the government and said that after the fires SYRIZA will request detailed information from the operational center. He noted that the forestry policy, which is not implemented, was approved for the first time in Greece during the SYRIZA government.

Asked about the government’s first legislative initiatives, S. Famellos commented that the government is bringing back a piecemeal approach to dealing with problems. He said the increases in the salary of civil servants are not a new salary but an allowance. On the market pass extension, he commented that it is a dead end to subsidize accuracy and do nothing to control prices. Regarding the vote of expatriates, he repeated that “we want all expatriates to vote and choose their own representatives” and that on the matter SYRIZA will bring back the legislative proposal it had submitted. He especially asked PASOK-KINAL to participate in this discussion to ensure “getting elected”.

Regarding the procedures in SYRIZA, he said, among other things, that “we need a new party and not just a new person to take over the position of the president of SYRIZA». “We need a new political proposal that we will manage to pass to society. So also a staff that can analyze the changes taking place in society and its needs”. Asked if he is in favor of holding a debate between the candidates for the leadership of SYRIZA-PS, he said that there should be a political debate in the party and in society about the new party and the new political proposal, that “we are voting for a person who will be able to express a SYRIZA-PS that will become the government, because a government solution is needed to change society, so the debate can also take place in the media.”

With reference to the self-governing elections, he said, among other things, that the self-governing schemes that SYRIZA will support must talk about the need to ensure the public nature of goods such as water and services. “Our participation in schemes is not independent of programs and commitments,” he said. He stated that “our principle, our position, is that we should not have mayor-centric schemes elected by a social minority. Let’s have at least a second round, so that there is 50% plus 1”. In addition, he said that the communities should have elected officials who can have responsibilities and that there should be autonomous local schemes.