The move on behalf of George Papandreou to abandon PASOK and participate in the 25 January elections with his new political party, the Movement of Democratic Socialists, has angered his former party leadership and members not only in Greece but also in Australia.
PASOK’s press office issued an angry statement describing GAP’s announcement as a “cold-blooded attempt to fragment PASOK”, an “immoral and insane political act” which solely aims at the creation of his “own personal and privately-owned party”.
Neos Kosmos contacted Angelo Haritou, one of the movement’s representatives in Australia, to find out where the Australian PASOK voters stand.
“We completely agree on PASOK’s take on the matter. George Andreas Papandreou is in fact behaving like an heir that wants to destroy the PASOK party founded by his own father,” Angelo Haritou says.
“He is set to destroy the very PASOK party that honoured him by electing him as its president and made him prime minister.”
Angelo Haritou highlighted the Greek Australian PASOK supporters’ frustration and disappointment on finding out about Papandreou’s move and expressed certainty that he would not succeed.
“PASOK is neither inherited, nor divided. It’s not George Papandreou’s toy to be broken or ‘fixed’ at his pleasing,” he says.
“The former premier is obviously acting solely on the basis of personal goals, without any real political motive behind his decision.”
According to Mr Haritou, it makes no sense that a former president of PASOK and former prime minister, with the majority of the electorates vote, would bail on it.
Angelo Haritou insists that voters should not forget that the decision to enter the memorandum was initially made by George Papandreou, and PASOK as well as New Democracy are following his signature, trying to meet with the troika’s demanding requirements.
“All those that honour and respect the name Papandreou should know by now how to distinguish between Andreas Papandreou and George Papandreou.”
“I do not see any breakthrough ideas coming from Papandreou’s new party. There are no substantial ideological differences.” he says.
A vast majority of the voters in Greece has turned its back on PASOK for failing to deal with national issues and accumulating a huge public debt which led to the harshest austerity measures the country has known so far, and Mr Haritou said that George Papandreou’s move to create a new party will devastate the party even more.
“His attempt will only lead to more voters fleeing towards SYRIZA, as they see the socialists of Greece entering an era of constant dispute rather than unity, to help the nation stand on its feet again,” Haritou muses.
Angelo Haritou insists that the main focus should be avoiding going back to the drachma.
“Letting everything Greece has struggled for throughout these five painful years go down the drain, just to promote oneself to power, is insane.”