In a televised address from the Ionian island of Ithaca, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that the country's emergence from nine years of crisis and international financial bailouts marks a “new day” for the country, a “day of redemption but also the dawning of a new era".
In a speech laden with classical symbolism, the Prime Minister said that Greece’s modern-day “Odyssey,” which had begun in 2010, had come to an end. “The bailouts of recession, austerity and social desertification are finally over.”
“Our country regains its right to shape its own future,” Tsipras said from a hill overlooking a bay in the island where Odysseus returned after a 10-year voyage recounted by classical poet Homer. He also added that “we have left the Symplegades behind,” referring to the mythological rocks at the Bosporus that clashed together whenever a vessel went through.
In a communicative effort to manipulate public opinion about SYRIZA coalition government's supposed "success", Tsipras said that his government achieved what it set out to do when it was elected to power in 2015, namely “to take the country out of the restrictions of the memorandums and endless austerity.”
KKE: The supposed "new day" is based on the "cinders" of people's rights.
In a statement issued by the Press Office of the Central Committee, the Communist Party of Greece said that "the Prime Minister tries to hide that the supposed "new day" is based on the "cinders" of people and youth's rights".
"The next day- writes the statement- will be the continuation of the previous one, as long as the hundreds of memorandum's laws, the strict supervision by the EU, the "bloody" surpluses, the labour jungle, the tax-robbery, the downgrading of every aspect of human life will be here. The Greek people are very well aware of that, no matter how much mockery the SYRIZA-ANEL government will employ, no matter how many histrionics Mr.Tsipras will resort to".
The KKE points out that "the government does not commit itself to the abolition of not even one measure that has been imposed on the people through the memorandums. On the contrary, it vows, in all tones, that the reforms will continue, meaning in fact that the people must forget whatever they lost and to compromise with the crumbs and allowances".
"That was, after all, the order of the capital- writes the Communist Party's statement- as well as of the government's partners, the EU and the IMF, which on one hand give congratulations to the government for the dirty mission it accomplished and, on the other hand, anticipate the continuation of the antipeople policy. The promotion of this policy will be evaluated by the "markets" and "investors", in order to show their trust towards Greek economy".
The KKE denounces the SYRIZA-ANEL government for continuing the same antipeople, antiworkers policy of the previous governments of PASOK and New Democracy and points out: "No trust, no illusion. Clear exit [from austerity memorandums] for the people means abolition of the memorandum laws, replenishment of the losses, satisfaction of the modern needs".