Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Greek government versus 'Resign' initiative: A phony and staged confrontation

Pro-EU protests in Athens; such protests
actually promote the existing anti-people
governmental policy.
COMMENTARY.

The stage is ready and the actors are well prepared. A internet-based initiative under the name "Paretitheite" (Resign) calls for a mass demonstration in front of the Greek Parliament, having one basic demand: the resignation of the SYRIZA-ANEL government. Their major argument is that the government cannot effectively manage the present situation. On the other side, the SYRIZA-ANEL government reacts to this initiative, accussing the major opposition party, New Democracy, as the instigator of the demonstration. This is the framework of a staged, fake confrontation.

The 'Resign' initiative promotes slogans such as the following: "No colours, no parties, no labor unions", "we ask for Greece's fast exit from the memorandum's phase", "the country's position in the eurozone is non-negotiable" etc. What they truly ask for is drastic cuts everywhere, more cuts of wages and pensions, lay offs in the public sector and privatization programs. Their political proposal is no different from the one of the government- a capitalist development with harsh anti-people measures. Like the SYRIZA-ANEL government, the 'Resign' movement promotes the EU and the eurozone. 

Their- supposed- conflict reflects the domestic confrontation between parts of the bourgeois-class; while a part of it supports the SYRIZA-ANEL government, another one is promoting the other parties (New Democracy, PASOK, Potami etc). 

Furthermore, the slogan about a "multicolour movement without parties and labour unions" is purely reactionary, as well as hypocritical. For example, among the organizers of the "Resign" initiative are people who have participated in politics as candidates of various parties. Some of them are members and ex-members of PASOK, New Democracy and Potami. They can't hide their true political nature, even though they try to present themselves as "non-partisan" activists. 

On the other hand- although it seems contradictory- the 'Resign' movement is actually a positive development for the SYRIZA-ANEL government. Why? Because they don't have actual political differences. In fact, as we said above, the 'Resign' movement demands more austerity, more privatizations, more anti-people measures; it demands the acceleration of the governmental policy. It is in favor of Alexis Tsipras' government to present these demonstrations as the only reaction against it's policies. The real threat for Tsipras and his government isn't an iniative which promotes the same reactionary ideology - the real threat is the organised popular-working movement. 

Regarding this fake "confrontation", the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) issued a short statement in which it says:

The government chooses an easy opponent and consciously advertises him.
"It is profound that the government, through the statements of various of it's members, consciously advertises the "Resign" initiative. The reasons are obvious: On the one hand it chooses to confront an easy opponent of the same strategic targeting- with whom they have signed together the 3rd memorandum and swear on the capitalist way of development and the EU- in a phony fight. On the other hand, it wants to display that the only demonstration against the governmental policy comes from these powers and not from the organised working-popular movement which daily confronts the barbaric anti-people measures".