“The political essence is that we have the opposition of desperation, because they take an issue that has merit, I don’t underestimate any issue, they put out 5 6,7,8 announcements on that issue and they monotonously and monotonously oppose something to create an impression. Why? Because they can’t produce policy themselves. When you don’t have positions, when you don’t have a costed program, when you don’t have anything to say to the people watching you, you just try to “rip the sweater off” your political opponent.” This is what Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said on Blue Sky’s “Interventions” programme, commenting on the debate on Makarios Lazaridis’ degree.
“Let’s stop this man-eating and let’s evaluate Mr Lazaridis and whoever else is in the government and obviously the MPs for their action, for their work and for the work they do or don’t do for the people. Let society judge Mr Lazaridis and every Mr Lazaridis,” he added, noting that there is no question of that. “And what I know, that’s what I say. Beyond that… there is no question of staying… that’s what I know, that’s what I’m telling you. So, I have to convey the picture that I have. Whether, I repeat, and I’m watching every word I say, whether the recruitment process was done correctly in terms of service is something that at this moment I cannot know, what happened in 2007 in terms of service… What I can tell you is that this man did not present a false title or a forged or falsified qualification. This is evident from what he showed today and what was also in his CV and that he could have been an associate of the then minister on the basis of even that degree or without that degree, that is, he could have been a secondary school graduate. Whether it was done in an official capacity, that is, is the right procedure, is something which is an official matter,”
On the criticism of “bribery” and talk of a possible abolition of the preference cross, the government spokesman noted: “I consider it a “bagging” to say that those who are in the cross battle are doing buffets and on the other hand it is a “bagging” to say that those who are not are not. You deal with the buffoonery with any position of responsibility, with the bills you introduce in the House and pass if passed by the House, and with the policies you implement. I believe that the cross, the contact with the citizens, the communication with the citizens, the negative things that I have been hearing in this year and a half or so that I have been a candidate in the North Ward and I want to be elected, provided that the citizens of the North Ward want it, that contact is a daily landing on reality, the only reality that is society. If we want politicians disconnected from society, then we will create an elite parliament.”
“Those who talk – for example – about more or many State seats, and I hear things about abolishing the cross, which are not coming from anywhere, then they actually want to alter the popular will, to reduce the influence of the citizens,” he added.
On possible partnerships, Marinakis stressed that the Southwest is seeking self-reliance: “We will again seek self-reliance in the 2027 elections. And why does what I say follow that it is a realistic, not easy, but realistic goal?
“Now, if next election the people don’t say yes to what we are saying, don’t respond positively, don’t give us self-reliance, our pursuit is the country… I think the country should have a government. But beyond that, this, as you understand, that is, whether there should be a partnership, that is an exercise for two. The “tango needs two”… We have not made such a proposal to PASOK because we are asking for self-reliance and we also see the attitude of PASOK. The PASOK of Mr Androulakis is one thing, the PASOK of Mr Venizelos is another, and the PASOK of the late Fofi Gennimata is another. There was never a chance that the party that was ‘hanged on the pegs’, its members were ‘hanged on the pegs’, by the para-ministries of Justice of SYRIZA and the government of Mr Tsipras, would agree to co-sign a motion of no-confidence or to be on the same side, many times, with these parties, to vote ‘present’ in Parliament and to have the same rhetoric. I could never imagine Mr Venizelos talking about ‘lost wagons’, which has been spoken by PASOK MPs,” the government spokesman said, noting that “if we do not have self-reliance, the country should have a government.” “The complete opposite of what PASOK says. What did PASOK say? It was the position of Mr. Duke, which is also the central position of PASOK. It is better to have ungovernability than this government or this co-government. So this is another reason why I think it is a one-way street – our position is this, the people will decide – that the New Democracy is self-reliant,” he said.
As to whether there will be a question of party discipline in the vote to lift the immunity of New Democracy MPs, Marinakis noted: “What I know at the moment is that in matters of immunity there is no party discipline. From there, when the time comes for the next debate, then I will be able to give you an insight. Generally speaking, in these votes there is no party discipline. There is a conscience vote and in cases of ministers because it is different from the waiver of immunity, there the assessment is actually made by the House. But there are also cases, like say Mr. Triandopoulos, where they ask to be judged by the natural judge and from then on the procedure provided by law is followed.”
