By Nikos Tripis, member of the Central Political Committee of PASOK – Movement for Change and former secretary of its Southern Dodecanese committee.
At a time when Greek society is under severe strain, protecting borrowers, their main homes and vulnerable households is a line PASOK will not cross. It is our foremost social priority. Our movement stands against the unchecked practices of the funds that buy debts and the companies that service them. That safety net is all the more urgently needed in Rhodes and the Dodecanese. Our communities and small businesses, the backbone of tourism and the island economy, face the prospect of foreclosure with scant regard for the particular difficulties of island life.
The government has responded to our commitment to social justice with another round of orchestrated press reports. Parliamentary sources on the government side accuse us of voting for 77% of a bill that in fact leaves people unprotected. The figures tell a different story.
Only the first 41 of its 390 articles concern private debt. The other 349, which the government deliberately counts together with them, transpose six European directives and cover cryptocurrency taxation, financial and capital markets, public accounting and pensions.
The government uses this legislative hotchpotch to suggest that PASOK backs its policies. It is a familiar hypocrisy: a bill presented as ‘oversight of the funds’ was also an attempt to give those same funds further concessions through the back door.
How we voted
We voted against the bill in principle, rejecting the government’s overall approach. We supported provisions that incorporated proposals of our own to improve borrowers’ position. We exposed the trap in Article 23 and, by making our case forcefully and with evidence, secured a parliamentary victory: the government withdrew the provision that would have permitted seizures without a court order. We also voted for the changes needed to bring Greek legislation into line with EU law, as a responsible party committed to reform should.
The government’s story has collapsed. Ministers now shun Parliament and political debate in favour of one-sided social media posts. Withdrawing the provision does not remove political responsibility. How could the government put forward an article allowing debt funds to seize assets without a prior court decision, regardless of the consequences for families and professionals? Who drafted and approved a measure that would have been so ruinous for borrowers?
When will the government bring PASOK’s bill before Parliament to protect people’s main homes and allow private debts to be repaid in 120 instalments?
PASOK – Movement for Change will not be deflected by publicity stunts. We will continue to make our case with evidence and practical proposals and to stand alongside citizens, putting justice, transparency and social cohesion first, from Rhodes to every corner of Greece.
