By Internationalists Comunists Organization (OKDE) – Grecia
The blackmail on the part of the creditors/usurers, the EU and the IMF, has led SYRIZA to (temporarily?) break the so-called «negotiation» and resort to the people, asking them to reject the inhumane measures proposed. The creditors had been so far encouraged by the continuous concessions of the government and were aiming to impose upon the greek people a new shameful agreement. The measures included large primary budget surpluses, cuts of wages and pensions, irrational increases in VAT on goods consumed widely, the abolition of all tax exemptions for workers and popular layers, as well as relentless tax drainage, unreasonable increases in retirement age limits… and many more – which will only lead the greek economy and society to total disaster. And what is more, they are asking for harder and harder measures, they send ultimatums, they stomp on popular and national sovereignty, as if they are addressing a colony, in an obvious attempt to humiliate and squeeze the Greek people.
They blackmail, they threaten, they provoke – they want to intimidate and crush the greek people, to humiliate us and get us down on our knees, burying the popular victory of January 25. In order to save «their own men», the pro-memorandum forces which are under threat and are falling apart all over Europe.
The blackmailers of the EU/Eurozone and the IMF have had all this time by their side the local «fifth column». Big capital and «black market»-capitalists, who wish to see the preservation of the memorandum regime forever. The mass media of deception and lied, the parties of ND, PASOK and Potami – who all have found in the threats and the blackmails of the european imperialists the policy that suits them, that could save their own miserable and catastrophic political existence.
The concessions made by the government and SYRIZA have increased the impertinence of the «black bloc» of local pro-memorandum parties, of the «stay in Europe» mobilizations, of the collaborators who have been sending messages to the European «partners» that they are ready –if they return to power– to implement any anti-worker and anti-popular measures required by the creditors/usurers, Merkel-Schauble, Hollande, Juncker and the IMF gang.
Now, following the announcement of this referendum, however mutilated politically it may be, they have started screaming again, spreading fear and terrorizing the Greek people with talk about the ATMs, the euro and the drachma and a whole series of other scaremongering. What are they afraid of? After all, they claim that the great majority of the Greek people are in favor of the EU and the euro, and that they even voted for Greece to stay in the eurozone. Why do they equate elections, the referendum and any intervention of the Greek people to a «constitutional deviation», especially when they control all the big media, which for many years have systematically been oppressing and brainwashing?
The dramatic announcement of the referendum by PM Tsipras at 1:00 am on Saturday 27/6 does not reduce the responsibilities of himself or his government. On the contrary, the referendum is a confession of the failure of the strategy of SYRIZA. All they accomplished following the ideology of «stay within the euro by all means» (which is also the ideology of the pro-memorandum forces) is to increase the impertinence of the creditors/usurers. With the disgraceful agreement of 20th February and the continuous concessions and «negotiations», they almost completely gave in to the lenders. By paying back the installments, by giving away to the usurers billions of euros (almost 7,5 bn since the beginning of 2015) that belong to the workers and popular masses, the government has drained the economy and further destroyed the public services and social commodities. With their decision not to bring the minimum wage up to its pre-2010 level and the collective agreements, they abandoned even the mediocre «program of Thessaloniki» and their electoral statements, which they had promised to the greek people and stole their vote. By holding discussions behind closed doors, by reassuring the people and spreading illusions about the «deal» that would be made week after week and by endless lies, they tries to fool the greek people. Finally, their own 50-page proposal included harsh memorandum-style measures.
In the referendum of July 5, the proposal of the lenders/usurers must without doubt be denounced, since it leads to the destruction of the greek economy and society. But every other plan, including the government’s own 8 bn plan, must also be denounced. It contains harsh measures against the workers and the people and is entirely in contrast with the struggles and the vote of the greek people on January 25. The «fifth column» of the pro-memorandum forces must also be denounced.
However, we must also denounce all the policies that seek solutions within the framework of the EU and the Eurozone. The imperialist and racist EU must be condemned. We can beat them once more – Struggle everywhere, to support and expand the victory of January 25, to support our own working-class and popular rights! The memorandums must be stripped out completely!
– Cancel all privatizations – Nationalizations under workers’ control (of the banks etc.). Abolish all heavy taxation on workers’ and the popular strata – For a heavy taxation of the capital and the rich. Reinstate now all those who were laid off. Reinstate the salaries – pensions in their levels before the losses imposed by the memorandums. Immediately reinstate the minimum wage and collective agreements. Abolish the memorandum Emeregncy State.
– Stop payinh the Debt – For the Debt’s Cancellation. Money for our needs (hospitals, schools, social services, state investament etc.). No to any negotiation, no to any «agreement» – Exit now from the Euro and the European Union.
In the days until the referendum, the workers’, the unemployed, the poor popular strata and the youth must take big steps forward. They must enter the struggle actively, make their own case the NO TO THE «PROPOSAL» OF THE CREDITORS/USURERS, NO TO THE GOVERNMENTAL PROPOSAL (for 8 bn. pact of measures). This «NO» must echoe everywhere, in every corner of the country – and must be heavily imposed. We must not trust the developments, a real way out in the weak, coward hands of SYRIZA and its leadeship.
We must create everywhere create a network of workers’ and popular assemblies/committees, in the neighborhoods, in the workplaces, in the schools and university faculties – in order to organize for the clash ahead.
Make away the fear, that the pro–memorandum forces (locally and abroad) want to spread with their propaganda. Repel all attacks of the pro – memorandum forces. In order to win over the creditors, to bury once and for all the pro – memorandum forces, to stop the memorandum downhill of Tsipras/SYRIZA – and to create a real hope, a Workers’ Government, imposing everywhere our right.
STRUGGLE EVERYWHERE – UNTIL VICTORY!
