The president of the KO of SYRIZA-PS, Sokratis Famellos, spoke of the government’s “unconstitutional methodology” with regard to the bill for non-state universities, speaking today in the Parliament in the context of the relevant debate, following the filing of the objection of unconstitutionality.

He accused the government of seeing the Constitution as an “obstacle and anachronism”, attributing to it a “serious credibility problem”.

He commented that the government “plays with words” when it talks about “non-state universities” and that everything that is “public” bothers it.

He made it clear that for SYRIZA “there is no room for a revision of article 16“, noting that the ND itself had argued that in order for such a bill to proceed, its revision is necessary. “What changed; Did you suddenly have enlightenment? Quite simply, now we have an unscrupulous government, which does not hesitate in the face of every possible violation of the rule of law, which intervenes at the expense of all institutions and rules, and it does so with too much audacity and hypocrisy. In order to arrange cronies and play the game of power with great ease, you christen meat fish”, he said characteristically and added that the government is not waiting for “the possible review process because there is a lot of money and interests”. He also warned that the “discrediting of the Constitution” fuels “anti-political and far-right attitudes and behaviors”.

Continuing, S. Famellos referred to the specific provisions of the Constitution which clarify that “the commercialization of university education in our country” is prohibited. “Universities are not businesses. Students are not customers. Lecturers are not subject to the managerial right of any employer. Neither academic teaching nor research is subject to employer’s right,” he said.

Referring to the argument of the country’s “obligation” towards European legislation, he said that “it is clear that our obligations in Europe refer to institutions of higher and not university education” and that it is refuted by the fact that “the European Commission has not summoned us never in the court of the European Union”.

He pointed out, in fact, that the revision of the Constitution has been linked in the past to “cultural battles” not only between constitutionalists and the parties, but also with citizen and student mobilizations, which is why the government is “afraid” of the “revision process”.

“Your methods discredit the legal order, discredit the Constitution, jurisprudence, the scientific world. And we are worried if the discrediting of the normative authority of the Constitution once again opens the way for new authoritarian choices and violations”, underlined S. Famellos.

In closing, the president of the KO of SYRIZA reiterated that “the bill is clearly unconstitutional” and called on all MPs not to “breach their oath” and vote on the objection of unconstitutionality.

As he said, in this vote “it will be decided whether the discussion of the bill will continue”, but also “how this flagrantly authoritarian, anti-democratic and unconstitutional government will continue its course”.

SYRIZA, as he said, is here to “stop the private universities” and “in general the plans of Kyriakos Mitsotakis”.

“The burden falls on the parliamentarians of the coalition if they will take a position with the interests of society and the country,” he concluded.