2023-04-24 19:51:43
“The fight we are fighting, the fights we will fight for the Dodecanese and for the whole country will also be his fights” said the president of SYRIZA-PS
Alexis Tsipras from Kos announced his candidacy in the Dodecanese, with the president of SYRIZA-PS honoring in this way the memory of Nektarios Santorini.
“Today we are all here present and present at the invitation of the great change. But a piece of our heart is missing. A man, a great comrade who loved his country, served his principles and ideas with vigor and dedication for a whole life,” said Alexis Tsipras, referring to the SYRIZA-PS Dodecanese Member of Parliament and head of the Maritime and Islands Policy department, who passed away a few months ago.
The leader of the official opposition also added that Santorinios “as minister of island policy did very important things for the Dodecanese and all the islands. So the fight we are fighting, the fights we will fight for the Dodecanese and for the country as a whole will be his fights too.”
And I want to start my speech by announcing to you that in his memory and in his honor I will be a candidate in the Dodecanese. Trying to fill this very big void, but also trying to honor a place, a place that has always been a pioneer in the democratic struggles of our people.”
“I believe that we are present at a great democratic invitation for the change that will come with the victory of SYRIZA on May 21”, said Alexis Tsipras, starting his speech in Kos.
“There is one month left until our people say a big no to the Mitsotakis regime and a big yes to SYRIZA. Greece will leave behind four hard years of insecurity and anxiety and will take the first step for justice and certainty”, said Mr. Tsipras. Continuing, he added that “Greek society goes from anger to decision, we know and we can get the country out of the quagmire”.
The transportation and health equivalent
“To begin, let me say that we will protect, strengthen, expand, his and your vision for the transport equivalent, which the Mitsotakis government leaves exposed, with delays in payments and an uncertain future.
Delays in beneficiary payments starting from 8 months and very often exceeding 1 year.
In practice, these delays undermine the smooth operation of the Transportation Equivalent, with an unacknowledged political purpose of discrediting a measure embraced by the islanders from the first moment, precisely because it responds to their real needs and compensates in a tangible way the inequalities they experience.
These delays do not even allow a proper evaluation of this innovative, radical reform and the assessment of the amounts required per year.
In any case, to have a measure of comparison, the amount of 156 million per year that SYRIZA had budgeted for the implementation of the Transport Equivalent in the year 2019 alone, is almost the same as the total amount that – it claims – will have spent by the ND in its entire four-year term.
So we will put the vision of Nektarios into proper application. We will make it happen.
And we will implement another vision and plan of his. Which he himself did not have time to complete. After the transportation equivalent, we will also bring the health equivalent.
It is a targeted package of interventions to combat the health disparity between the insular region and the center.
This bundle includes:
Firstly, the priority development of strong public structures and health services on the islands. By upgrading the salary of health personnel, by making health workers permanent, by permanent recruitment, by applying a special framework of incentives (salary, housing, tax and administrative) for the staffing and stay of the NHS people in the island regions.
Secondly, the utilization of even the non-contracted EOPYY private sector in the island regions when the public sector is unable to cover the need, with direct compensation of the citizens for the services they use, having as a basic criterion their relief from additional health costs.
Thirdly, the full guarantee by the State of the islanders’ access to the required health services outside their place of residence, since the necessary services are not provided either by the NHS or by the private sector in an island region. The full assumption of responsibility includes the coverage of the relevant travel and accommodation expenses.
Fourth, zero participation in the pharmaceutical expenses of chronic patients (diabetic, heart disease, etc.) who live on the islands.
Because justice everywhere means equal opportunities to access health for all citizens throughout the Territory. It means priority in island Greece.
SYRIZA’s plan
Political change, justice everywhere, is not an idea born in party offices. It is a need of our society. It requires the certainty of the plan. And the forces that are able to make it a reality.
First, we know. We have a clear plan. Anyone who votes for SYRIZA votes for four things:
Salary increase.
Price reduction.
Debt settlement.
Just and effective state.
We know, because we are now more experienced than ever, how these will be implemented. In a safe way, with an absolute awareness of the correlations, with realism.
And what do they tell us? That what we propose is not realistic.
The direct assignments, the benefits to the big interests, the sale of even the water, are realistic. But in everything that has to do with pro-popular measures, with measures to relieve the great majority, they are quick to put the label: It is not realistic!
The measures proposed by SYRIZA
So let’s see them one by one.
Is it a realistic goal to increase the basic salary to 880 euros and establish an annual indexation so that every year if inflation rises, the salary also rises? Yes it is.
Because this will not only support thousands of households, but will stimulate demand, revitalize the market, generate jobs.
Is the increase after 14 years, by 10% in line with inflation, of the salary of civil servants a realistic goal? Yes it is. Because the economy can handle it.
The ten billion shared between them with direct assignments would be enough for decent salaries in the public sector for years.
Decent salaries in the public sector mean greater productivity, better relations with citizens, and of course stimulation of demand and the market
Is price reduction a realistic goal? Yes it is.
With a reduction in VAT on food and basic necessities. In Spain, in other countries, even zero VAT has been established on foodstuffs.
Also with a reduction in the tax on fuel. At the lowest possible level provided by the European Union. And abolishing it in rural oil.
The public treasury bears the cost, especially since the reduction in prices will result in an increase in purchasing power and government revenue. While it will be a huge relief for the popular strata and the middle class. It is not possible to refer to Europe, à la carte. There is experience in managing the accuracy crisis in the EU and tools that have been deliberately left untapped here.
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