“There are no words that can describe what Attica and its people experienced in the past days. The capital was literally bombed. And this cannot be normal”, emphasizes the MP and candidate for the presidency of PaSoK, Pavlos Geroulanos, referring to the devastating fire and the responsibilities of the government.
He underlines, in fact, that “how incompetent the Mitsotakis government is is the most obvious problem, which I hope we can solve in the next national elections”, while he characteristically adds that “the responsible minister must leave yesterday”.
“Plans that exist for all the mountains remain on paper, while their assurances of a ‘fortified Athens with a state-of-the-art surveillance system’ collapsed within days. Again”, notes Mr. Geroulanos, emphasizing that “these are not the most difficult. The most challenging problem is that we need to change as a whole and collectively and get political protection that inspires confidence and not insecurity in the citizen. Because what we have experienced is yet another unfortunately painful lesson that the models of administration and civil protection that we have applied until now are definitely over.”
“We cannot rely on Mitsotakis, he must leave immediately”
As he states, “in Greece the idea has prevailed that the problems will be solved by a brain that we trust every four years to govern us. And we are always disappointed by their inability to be what they promised us during the campaign: the solution to the problems that so many others have failed to deliver.”
To characteristically note that “this image of the leader-ruler that ultimately disappoints is now personified by Mr. Mitsotakis and the fires of Attica are nothing more than a reminder to all of us that we cannot rely on him. That he must leave immediately.”
Pavlos Geroulanos explains, however, that the solution is not “for someone else to come, who lives with the fantasy that everything will be solved by Maximos”.
The “three S” and the example of the mayors of Hymettos
“The reality that Mr. Mitsotakis never recognized is that we will never find the solutions by looking for a leader who has them all, but she or he who will bring together all the forces of society that have something to offer. Forces that will ensure the ‘three Cs’: Collaboration to find a solution, Continuity that will enable us to progress from what we learn and Systems that will ensure the first two,” he emphasizes.
He then notes that “the ‘three Cs’ are based on the idea that we are constantly learning and progressing. For this reason, in contrast to these devastating fires, I will quote the excellent work that the mayors are doing in Hymettos. Collaboration, Continuity and Systems to ensure the first two are in place. And while we can never be sure that the mountain or part of it will not burn, we can be sure that the systems put in place will lead to their continued progress.”
“The climate is constantly sending us strong messages and the state, unable to understand it, is trying to solve problems that come from the future with yesterday’s concepts and weapons,” adds Mr. Geroulanos, stressing that “we now need initiatives and plans that go beyond parties and prescribed roles”.
And he states that “the first immediate emergency actions are a network of relief measures for people who lost a lifetime’s efforts. With as little bureaucracy as possible and with additional resources that should be claimed at European Union level.”
Mr. Geroulanos, noting that “here we finish with what we have done so far”, makes special reference to what must be done the next day.
“The next day – Council of Political Leaders immediately”
“A council of political leaders must be convened immediately with two issues,” he emphasizes and states the following:
“First, organization of a national policy of prevention that, regardless of the time horizon of a government term, will be implemented with the agreement and commitment of all. The responsibility for the implementation of the plan will lie in the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, under a widely accepted politician, who will be accountable to a Standing Cross-Party Committee of the Parliament.
»Secondly, creation in collaboration with the Local Government of the affected areas of a plan on two levels: immediate interventions to heal wounds where possible and planning and implementation of a medium-term plan for the necessary interventions in Attica. In this plan there will be a clear division of responsibilities for projects and initiatives in the Local Government, the state and civil society”.
At the meeting, too”, adds Pavlos Geroulanos, “it should be decided that no reforestation action will be carried out by a private or public entity if it does not have the approval of the Ministry of Environment. The private sector can contribute directly by collecting resources that will be used for this action”.
In fact, as he characteristically notes, he understands that “to some who have been trained in sterile confrontations over time or have made political careers with false promises, all of this seems impossible to them. But their own role was burned in the stream of Chalandrio and their own timeless mistakes end here.”
“My job is to say there is another way”
“I will fight to implement such a national policy that requires action with agreements and consensus, not in general and vague but in the specific plan. The path I propose is difficult and demanding. But it is the path of the future, which creates trust and optimism in people that something will change in their lives” he emphasizes.
To conclude: “I hear a lot of people telling me ‘slap your hand on the table and tell them to pack up and leave.’ But this was done unsuccessfully by so many politicians before me. The truth is that you will expel Mr. Mitsotakis when you bang your hand on the table. My job is to say there is another way. Not the path of the next leader-ruler who supposedly has all the solutions, but of the one who will compose and ensure the continuity that the country needs”.
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