Attack by government spokesperson, Pavlos Marinakis, against the chief of ELAS, Alexis Tsipras, following his interview on Alpha.
The government spokesperson initially commented on Mr. Tsipras’s references to “honesty,” arguing that his remarks contradicted his time in office. He referred to incidents that marked the former prime minister’s tenure, including the convictions of former ministers, and the changes to the Penal Code shortly before SYRIZA left power.
At the same time, Mr. Marinakis focused on Alexis Tsipras’s economic announcements, noting that Tsipras himself had spoken of 6 billion euros in available funds to be distributed. As he pointed out, the government has already utilized the available fiscal space by implementing tax relief totaling 1.76 billion euros as of January 1, with measures including, among other things, tax cuts, exemptions for young workers, and subsidies for large families.
In closing, Pavlos Marinakis called on Alexis Tsipras to provide clear answers on how he intends to finance his proposals, arguing that citizens are entitled to specific explanations regarding the economic plan he is presenting.
In detail, his statement reads:
“First of all, we cannot ignore the fact that Mr. Tsipras, in his interview today, once again felt the need to portray himself as a paragon of ‘honesty.’ We are talking about the prime minister of the two ministers who have been irrevocably convicted, of the de facto Ministry of Justice that, according to his own minister’s admission, operated from within the Maximos Mansion, the mass releases of prisoners serving long sentences, and the Penal Code that was tailored to specific interests and passed just a few days before he handed over power.
Furthermore, we learned today from Mr. Tsipras that there are 6 billion euros available for distribution. He made this statement while the government, making full use of the available fiscal space, has implemented, as of January 1, the largest tax reform in recent decades—amounting to 1.76 billion euros—with tax cuts for everyone, the elimination of income tax for young people, and significant relief for large families.
Therefore, there are three possibilities:
1. Mr. Tsipras is implying that we must reverse these measures.
2. He is ignoring the fiscal rules that apply to all European Union countries and the spending caps.
3. He wants to lead the country back into the turmoil of the past, with fiscal derailment, supervision, and new austerity measures.
No matter how much he believes that “the second time will be different” or that he can “be glorified while hiding,” he must, at least once, provide clear answers to these questions”.
