The president of SYRIZA-PS, Stefanos Kasselakis, launched an attack on the government on the issues of the quality of democracy but also on accuracy, taxation and transparency during his tour of the prefecture of Corinthia.

According to the press office of the party, at the town hall of Nemea where he had a meeting with representatives of the Agricultural Association, the Cooperative, the Winemakers’ Association, OPEKEPE and other bodies, Mr. Kasselakis said in principle that “we are here to humbly listen to you and the solutions you propose to become part of our government program” and added: “It is a process that we will continue in the pre-congresses that we will hold until the party congress in February. This process changes the policy production model for us. The organs of the party will always be of great importance in the production of policy, but the party must have an extroversion in society. I don’t believe that solutions come out of closed rooms. I believe that the solutions come from contact with an open society and I think that this way we will be able to create a large majority in our country. What we are doing now we will do again, until we have the honor and responsibility to implement our policies for the good of the whole society. Social Welfare State, Decentralization, support in the primary sector, which also faces huge problems with climate change, in Education and, of course, in Health”.

According to the same information, during the discussion he referred to the issue of the cost of electricity saying that “it is a national mockery what is being done with the cost, the accuracy of the current. The same goes for fuel, the same goes for many other things. It is clearly a matter of policy priority. The priorities of the other side are self-evident in this matter. We had interventions in the Parliament, but by our conference we will have a full political proposal for the primary sector, which will also be the future of Decentralization in our country, together with the Green Transition, Housing, Health, together with the Communications”.

Referring to the issue of transparency in the implementation of large projects, “which are often excessively delayed or never delivered to local communities”, he said: “if and when we are the government, those who have wasted the money of the Greek people for these projects that they have never been. They will be investigated, they will be held accountable because this money is what is sinking the kids out there in a bankrupt country and they force them to leave and then you wonder where the social Welfare State is. How are we going to build a social Welfare State when a study here goes from three million to six? Millions here, millions there, in a few pockets they go.”

He referred to the issue of taxation saying: “they are not reducing fuel tax or VAT on food. Politics is a matter of priorities. Our priorities are clear. Instead of indirect taxes we want the money to be in your pockets, so that everyone can live their lives, do their jobs. It’s a very simple philosophy. They tell you indirect taxes and get a pass on top of that. This is dependence, it is unethical, in my opinion, in the relationship between citizen and state.”

Asked about the wiretapping scandal and its course, Stefanos Kasselakis pointed out: “is it possible to get to the point where an honest official is sulking saying his reality, referring to the Prime Minister’s comments in Parliament? Comments he made half an hour later after I pressed the prime minister to his office? I am very sorry about this situation. Constitutionally enshrined independent authorities know what else they should be? They must be constitutionally secured financially.

Generalizing, Mr. Kasselakis referred to the “irony of some ministers and the prime minister himself with the 41% who put it in the balance. As if Tempi is explained with 41%, if possible! Let Mr. Voridis go and tell the families I met, if he dares. And they say 41%! This is not the Greece we want.” At this point, Stefanos Kasselakis noted: “the Greece we want must be like we are now. We make interventions in the House and I am very proud of our 47 MPs, they really are good people, they work very hard, they have much less resources than others, but with your help we will equip ourselves to do our work fully, for you. You have my word that we are only accountable to you, at least me and certainly our entire team. Only to you.”

Referring to the local issues, he expressed his belief that the Nemea region could and should be the model, but also the focus of a successful Decentralization policy and explained: “with a strategic policy that would really be in favor of Decentralization, with a fair diffusion of wealth and resources, instead of them being channeled into very specific pharaonic projects that we do not attribute to the local community, a lot of things could be done.”