Regarding the developments in SYRIZA and, in particular, the letter signed by 87 MPs and members of the Central Committee, requesting the convening of the bodies and leaving clear points against the president, Stefanos Kasselakis, the deputy speaker of the Parliament and SYRIZA MP spoke, Olga Gerovasilion Attica TV.
Asked about the collection of signatures in favor of Mr. Kasselakis, “I saw it” and it is also entitled that “they will protect, let’s say, the president Stefanos Kasselakis. Obviously, those who do this are not very friends of Stefanos Kasselakis. Because Stefanos Kasselakis is not afraid of dialogue, he says so himself, Stefanos Kasselakis is not threatened by someone and is not challenged and I don’t understand who thought that he should be protected from something. I think they are underestimating the president, I don’t think they are doing him any good,” remarked the former minister.
Regarding the motivations of the text of the signatures, Mrs. Gerovasili explained that “a few days ago we had an open post by the president of SYRIZA PS on social media that put in a huge text the entire agenda of the next steps that he is thinking about and for politics situation and about the issues that had opened up, in any case, in society and for the Center-Left and the issues of the functioning of the party from now on and how he thinks about moving forward. These were raised openly,” he argued, adding that “but the collective bodies of our party have about six months to meet. European elections were held, there was the result of the European elections and the members of the Central Committee, the members of the Political Secretariat and the Parliamentary Group are requesting, other MPs also requested it the day before yesterday, because the KO was interrupted due to the obstruction of the president and with planning that it will continue, which and of course it didn’t happen, because the president had to go on a trip” added Mrs. Gerovasili.
“These are issues that are discussed in the institutions. Therefore we set the agenda”, he emphasized, reminding in all directions that it is customary “before party discussions, some also set political agendas. That’s what this text does, it puts three things into discussion, from those that created intense concerns – and I’m not talking about personal concerns – I’m also talking about concerns that we receive from members of the SYRIZA PS and from the world and from society, etc.”
“You know, what for me was more critical and more urgent, and that’s why it’s included in the letter, are the issues of ethics, issues of transparency, which were put on the agenda,” confided the former minister, who, when asked if Mr. Kasselakis means the ” black funds”, “of course, as well as character assassination for people, which the party itself called for a job to do and they did it adequately and from there on there was also an attempt to assassinate characters as low wages etc.”, said the Mr. Gerovasilis.
At the same time, “if something was very strong in the Left, it was the main one, and Mr. Voridis had identified it, that the moral advantage of the Left, this is what we must break, what we must preserve as an apple of our eye, and for this the issues these are very thin. Apart from the fact that he insults us themselves” remarked the vice-president of the Parliament. And he added, “Of course there must be a renewal, of course steps must be taken, the president puts forward proposals, I agree with many of them, such as for the digital party, such as for new faces who must step forward, but I cannot accept that people who walked selflessly in this space for many years, can be offended. I can’t accept it.”
“When we say that the whole political system gets away with it, that’s the butter on the Far Right’s bread: discrediting the political system. These are two extremes of the issue,” he emphasized, looking to the right of the political spectrum, while regarding the character of the “87” letter, “there is no letter of rupture and there is no rupture and there is no questioning even of the president, Stefanos Kasselakis” , he clarified.
On the contrary, according to Mrs. Gerovasili, “it is an agenda, which raises some issues, to be urgently discussed, as required, in the collective bodies of SYRIZA PS because we are a party and in the Left, you know, collective action comes before individual action”. “It’s important that everyone is free to speak their mind without being criminalized and that’s a victory for the Left, you know, and we’ve been accused of being excessive for it many times,” he added.
“The text is clear. The president is not in doubt, I can’t say it more clearly,” said Olga Gerovasili.
Regarding the mobility of Alexis Tsipras, “these are very frivolous thoughts and underestimate both Alexis Tsipras and all of us. Alexis Tsipras himself has retired as president of SYRIZA and opened the proceedings, he sat aside, stepped aside, so that SYRIZA PS could move forward, which then its members chose its president”. “Alexis Tsipras is doing the work we all know, he has done the Institute and deals with the issues, which he deals with, and obviously he himself is a deputy of SYRIZA PS. Also present in the pre-election procedures and the European elections. Now, anyone who imagines that Alexis Tsipras left as president of the party, to undermine the party, you understand that it is a malicious thought” concluded the former minister.
“On the other hand, we are political officials. Obviously we don’t all have the story of Alekos Flambouraris, do we? Because Alekos is the story of the entire course of the younger Left,” argued Mrs. Gerovasili and continued, saying that “of course we don’t have the same weight. But we are people who have been politicized all this time with our opinions”. “It’s not that we support a president, we supported policies,” he explained, adding that “we recognize Alexis Tsipras as the one who took a party from 4% and made it the government of the country, proceeding in the way we all know.”
At the same time, “we have plowed many kilometers for many years”, Mrs. Gerovasili retorted and continued, explaining that “whoever imagines that he will move forward forgetting history and the past, is obviously deceiving himself”.
“There are no fathers and mothers in politics, nor does anyone claim such a role. Obviously, Alexis Tsipras does not claim such a role, but neither does anyone else. I can’t imagine that I can do to someone else, because they are younger, the guidance or the mother” he underlined, adding that “politics if it does not have autonomous personalities who know how to proceed and why, obviously it is not useful in the political system” .
Finally, regarding the suspension of “Avgi”, “as a member of the party, from the beginning, you know when you are sworn in then you go from the Bank to the Parliament. After the swearing-in and you give a standing order with the percentage set by your party, to go to the party” announced Mrs. Gerovasili, revealing that “and of course, whenever it was necessary, and pre-election now before the European elections it was necessary, the deputies to contribute more financially, because there were, we knew, too many expenses and the finances of the party, given the reduction of the state grant, are not the best”.
“However, the state grant had been reduced long before, since the previous elections, after 2019, after the power of the party also decreased and the finances were difficult for the media of the party. Thus, a plan was then made by the party’s media management, a consolidation plan, which was then presented to the Political Secretariat, provided for the closure of the daily newspaper. However, “I saw some malicious ones from yesterday”, pointed out the former minister, recalling that “in January 2022, the newspaper “Ethnos”, the headline is “reversal of the decision to close. Consolidation in operation”. “He means the decision of the Political Secretariat”. “And we all understand, and I personally, that measures must be taken here. Of course I understand that and of course I will sit at a table where we will discuss how and in what way, but this cannot be done suddenly, without being discussed in the Political Secretariat at least” explained Mrs. Gerovasili, concluding that “because it is also the History of the Left, but they are also workers. For this plan, there should be a conversation.” Finally, “I don’t know why they were upset, because the letter is clear. Anyone can read it,” he concluded.
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