The Alternate Minister of National Defence, Panagiotis Rigas, in an interview he gave on Monday, 27 May 2019, on “Good Morning Greece” (“Kalimera Ellada”) TV show in ANT1 Channel and to the journalist, Giorgos Papadakis, stated amongst others the following:
It is true that the ballot of the European elections has shown a big lead of New Democracy over SYRIZA. We are accepting Greek people’s verdict and that is what Alexis Tsipras did yesterday. We do not bow when times get hard; on the contrary, we are making quick choices that respond to actual challenges. We chose the same in August 2015, when we found ourselves vis-à-vis the burdensome agreement at that time and we immediately asked the Greek people to give us approval for implementing a plan.
We have been clear all these years. We received a country in a state of bankruptcy; a country with commitments undertaken in memoranda. We achieved something that, regardless of yesterday’s results, was very important; the country was lead out of the memoranda and fiscal surveillance and has a prospect of development. Throughout this period, we supported as much as we could the social web that was irreversibly affected and at the same time, as of the first moment that this was practicable, we directed part of the development to the society.
We are taking this message into consideration; however, we are not changing our strategy. Our strategy remains the same and this is how we are going to move forward to the next period, by explaining to the Greek people that there are two different political plans, one of which is the plan of the world of work; the progressive world that does not wish that the country returns neither to medieval labour practices nor to wages below the minimum ones or minimum wages…
The choice made by New Democracy and the entire system that surrounds it involved SYRIZA’s disappearance, speaking in fact about a strategic defeat; a view that was shared by allegedly progressive areas as well. This has not been achieved. Their objective to “get rid of them” has not been attained.
I would like to thank all members and officials of the party and the progressive alliance, as well as all the people that supported this effort. We will keep on strategically performing the duty that we have undertaken and have believed in it.
Society is having a hard time indeed; however, the whole effort that was made was meant to get us here today, so that we would all be stakeholders in development. Unemployment fell to the lowest level; from 27% it fell to 18%. Important safeguards were adopted that have been repealed in the early years of the memorandum era, when the attack on the world of work was relentless. That is was we were trying to do in the previous years and this effort should be continued. This will be the message; this will also be the challenge. Everyone is required to answer what is their plan. If the plan involves less democracy, then it is very problematic. As regards all national issues, we remained adhered to the safety line in the region and a pillar of stability and we have proven this.
