Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant said the deal reached between the eurozone and Greece will probably at quite significant long term damage the euro “brand”. When reacting to the latest developments on the issue in Brussels, Dr. Sant said that the eurozone governments seem to have succeeded in maintining internal coherence between them, even if only on the surface, and to sustain the dogma that euro membership is irreversible, while holding onto their pound of flesh.

Dr. Sant said in Brussels that if the agreement is rolled on, Eurozone states will have carried forward a huge non performing loan on their balance sheet with no need at present to write it down. However, the likelihood is that the problem will recur not too far into the future.

‘For this reason, I have huge doubts as to whether the agreement makes technical sense for all concerned, and whether it will make economic and social sense for Greece. It will certainly cause political turmoil there. The humiliating way by which Greece has effectively ceded a substantial part of its sovereignty to its “partners” might in other days, have provoked a military coup. I am told however that the Greek army today no longer subscribes to the view that it is the ultimate bastion of national dignity when the political class fails to deliver.’

Dr. Sant said that Greece is being forced to carry out too many radical initiatives too fast. ‘I cannot see that the public administrative machine or the private sector will be up to it. This has got nothing to do with trust. In economic terms, the neo-liberal prescriptions that are being forced through are unlikely to deliver jobs in the short to medium term’. Dr. Sant said that this has been the lesson of Portugal and Ireland. In fact, given the privatisation deadlines that are being set, the risks of carpet bagging are bound to grow. ‘Meanwhile social strains will also grow since once again, it will be the middle to lower income strata of the Greek population which will bear the load.’ Said Dr. Sant.

Maltese Version – IL-FTEHIM MAL-GREĊJA JISTA’ JKUN TA’ DANNU GĦAT-‘TIMBRU’ EWRO

Il-Kap tad-delegazzjoni Laburista Maltija fil-Parlament Ewropew qal li l-ftehim li ntlaħaq bejn iż-żona ewro u l-Greċja probabbilment se jkun ta’ dannu għat-‘timbru’ tal-ewro għal tul ta’ żmien. Dr. Sant, li kien qed jirreaġixxi fi Brussell għall-aħħar żviluppi dwar il-kwistjoni tal-Greċja, qal li bil-ftehim mal-Greċja, il-mexxejja tal-pajjiżi taż-żona ewro rnexxielhom iżommu għaqda bejniethom, anki jekk b’mod superfiċjali biss, biex iżommu ħajja d-dogma li sħubija fl-ewro hija irriversibbli, u fl-istess ħin jieħdu dak li hu tagħhom akkost ta’ kollox.

Dr Sant qal li jekk il-ftehim jibqa’ għaddej, l-istati taż-żona ewro jkunu qed iniżżlu self fil-bilanċi tagħhom li ma jistax jitwettaq, mingħajr il-ħtieġa li għalissa jiktbuh. Madanakollu, aktarx li l-problema se terġa’ tinqala’ fil-futur qarib.

‘Għal din ir-raġuni, għandi dubji serji jekk dan il-ftehim jagħmilx sens tekniku għal dawk kollha kkonċernati. Għandi dubji wkoll jagħmilx sens ekonomiku u soċjali għall-Greċja. Żgur li fil-Greċja il-ftehim se jqajjem terremot politiku. Il-mod umiljanti li bih il-Greċja ċediet parti sostanzjali mis-sovranita` tagħha lil ‘imsieħba’ tagħha, fi żminijiet oħra aktarx li dan kien iqajjem kolp ta’ stat militari. ‘Ninsab infurmat pero’ li l-armata Griega llum ma għadhiex temmen li hija l-aħħar sinsla tad-dinjita` tan-nazzjon meta l-klassi politika ma twettaqx.’ Qal Dr. Sant.

Dr Sant qal li l-Greċja qed tkun imġiegħla twettaq inizjattivi radikali malajr wisq. ‘Ma nistax nara kif il-magna tal-amministrazzjoni pubblika u s-settur privat se jirnexxielhom iżommu dan il-pass. Dan kollu ma għandu xejn x’jaqsam ma’ li tafda jew ma tafdax. F’termini ekonomiċi, l-ordnijiet neo-liberali li qed ikunu sfurzati fuq il-Greċja aktarx mhux se jirnexxielhom joħolqu l-impjiegi, kemm fl-immedjat u kemm fil-futur.’

Dr Sant qal li din kienet il-lezzjoni tal-Portugall u tal-Irlanda. Filfatt, minħabba d-‘deadlines’ li ngħataw għall-privatizzazzjoni, se jikbru r-riskji li se jkun hemm min jipprofitta ruħu mis-sitwazzjoni. ‘Intant it-tbatijiet soċjali wkoll se jkomplu jikbru għaliex, għal darb’oħra, il-klassi ta’ taħt u dik medja tal-popolazzjoni Griega se terfa’ t-toqol kollu.’ enfasizza Dr Sant.

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