Synaspismos' Main Tasks in 1998

Resolution of the Central Political Committee of SYNASPISMOS
(January 24 & 25, 1998)

The political climate in Greece is changing. Disenchantment with the present and uncertainty about the future are once again becoming its dominant features. The expectations generated by the change of leadership in PASOK and the rise to power of C. Simitis are fading. The new government of PASOK does not seem to have the strength or the will to bring about the required changes on the basis of our country's needs for a progressive modernization.

Greece needs a programme of national, social, economic and political restructuring, which requires a new social and political majority. SYNASPISMOS will do its best to promote the necessary balance of forces to make this prospect realistic.

The above assessments were made by the Central Political Committee of the SYNASPISMOS which met on 24-25 January 1998.

The CPC's resolution cites the following major problems as a testimony to governmental failure:

• The developments in the EU and Greece's inability to follow the EMU programme.

• Continuing tension in Greek-Turkish relations.

• The perpetuation of problems in Greece's Balkan policy.

• Uncertainly about the country's economic prospects.

• A deterioriation with regard to the problems of unemployment, poverty and the working people's living standards.

SYNASPISMOS insists on the necessity of its political proposal to the leadership of the Left and progressive forces, for a programmatic debate on the country's major problems and the need to face these problems in common and with a progressive perspective.

To this end, it will continue its efforts at the level of the Central Political Comiitee and also at the level of the Prefecture Committees. It will undertake initiatives to overcome the difficulties and obstacles and to offer an answer to the continuation of conservative policies and the deadlocks accumulated by the two-party system.

During the coming period, SYN with its proposals, its initiatives, its programmatic opposition, its links with social and mass movements, by mobilising the working people and the citizens, aims to clairfy the programme of progressive modernisation and to make it more widely acceptable. This is the aim served by the action programme approved by the CPC in October (11-12) and on the basis of which SYN has been dealing and continues to deal with the problems, and the political developments.

SYN has undertaken initiatives on all the serious problems (European integration, Cypurs, issues of foreign policy, budget) and has successfully fought elections in mass organizations.

The CPC believes that the SYN's priorities for action and initiatives should be the major economic and social problems, issues of foreign policy, the constitutional revision, issues of education and health and of course, the local and prefecture elections.

The vote on the very tough budget for 1998 and the unacceptable, ill-prepared and socially unjust taxation law show that the government is insisting on an economic policy which, while it creates immense social problems and places an unbearable burden on the weaker social strata, does not ensure any prospect for development or any certainty for the future of the Greek economy.

The social dialogue was undermined by the government with the aim of implementing its anti-labour policy and defusing the reactions of labour. Consequently, the very concept of social dialogue has suffered. Its attempt to strike at the institution of collective bargaining through the notorious amendment to the taxation law - which should be withdrawn - reveals its inconsistency, its hypocrisy and the serious democratic deficit, and directly undermines processes of real dialogue and social negotiation.

At an opportune moment, SYN had put forward a counterproposal for a medium-term economic recovery programme, with the aim of restructuring the Greek economy and of achieving real convergence with the European economies.

Our assessment is that developments have confirmed how correct this logic is. In this sense, SYN is undertaking initiatives at all levels for the formulation of alternative proposals and to mobilise society.

SYN's proposals on the necessary tax reform, the modernization of the public sector organizations, the confrontation of unemployment, the restructuring of the agricultural economy, the combatting of social exclusion, the upgrading of wage labour and the reinforcement of social cohesion, are our priorities for the next period.

Greek-Turkish relations are in a period of dangerous tension. The beginning of the procedures for Cyprus'accession to the EU, Turkey's domestic problems, developments in EU-Turkish relations, and the US strategy in the broader region all shape a context within which there are significant possibilities for the promotion of solutions to long-term problems of Greek foreign policy, but at the same time there are dangers for vital Greek interests.

SYN charges the government with the lack of a cohesive strategy, with contradictory policy management, and with improvised choices. SYN points out the dangers of negative developments from the way the government is shilly-shallying and going back and forth, and from the co-existence of conflicting strategies.

SYN believes that Greece must shape a stable and sober strategy on Greek-Turkish relations on the basis of two central directions:

a) Greece must consistently pursue the line of direct Greek-Turkish dialogue in the framework of International Law and International Treaties concerning the existing problems which make up the Greek-Turkish dispute.

b) Turkey's European orientation and the more general improvement of Euro-Turkish relations on the basis of the European acquis is a prospect with great benefit for Greece.

On the basis of these directions and given the necessity for its defence ability, Greece must consistently pursue the de-escalation of tension in the Aegean and Cyprus. It must also avoid situations which would lead to solutions mediated by the USA outside the framework of International Law and based on cold military balances.

Political System - Constitutional Revision

The constitutional revision currently under discussion should be incorporated into a prospect of change of the political system and of progressive reform of the state.

Instead of this, PASOK and ND are promoting partial changes which up to now, have not corresponded to the title of constitutional revision.

SYN, through its parliamentary proposals and its public meetings, will highlight the major problems on which the revision process should focus and will formulate with clarity the content of the necessary revision.

SYN is proposing the establishment of a citizens' observatory to monitor the preparations for the Olympic Games of 2004. The participants in this observatory should include personalities from the country's social, cultural and political life. The need for such an initiative has become even more urgent after the announcement of the composition of the organizational committee for the games. The procedures followed in setting up this committee and determining its composition reveal a logic of suffocating governmental control over the whole process and particularly, control by the Prime Minister's office.

Such a logic is problematic from the start, it entails the danger that the preparations for the Olmpic Games will become embroiled in intraparty and more general political rivalries. Above all, it exposes the committee's work to objections concerning the lack of transparency and guarantees, and the absence of any substantial control. This could have exceptionally negative consequences.

SYN will support every effort and initiative by scientific and ecological agencies and citizens' movements which aim at revising the file on issues where the plans for the games run counter to the capital's town planning and environmental prospects.