Main opposition New Democracy (ND) on Friday tabled its own proposal for the establishment of a fact-finding commission to investigate the course of the fiscal indicators and quality of the fiscal data from 1981 to February 2010. The motion, which was submitted to the parliament president, is signed by ND leader Antonis Samaras and former prime minister Costas Karamanlis as the second signatory, and contains the signatures of the party's entire parliamentary group. In the motion, the government and ruling PASOK party are accused of "persistence" in the establishment of a "totally superficial" fact-finding commission. It notes that ND is submitting its own proposal for the establishment of such a commission on the economy so that, with the purpose of consolidating transparency and formulating firm and healthy rules for the future, the real causes may be brought to light that led over the years -- and specifically from 1981, when Greece acceded the then EEC (EU today) -- the Greek economy to its present condition, both with respect to fiscal indicators and the quality of the fiscal figures.
It further notes that the content of PASOK's proposal for establishing the commission, and particularly the time period to which it limits the investigation -- from 2004 (when ND took government) to October 2009 (when PASOK took over the government) -- proves that the government and PASOK aim neither at the consolidation of transparency in the economy, nor the establishment of firm and effective regulations for the country's institutional credibility. The government and PASOK "are not seeking the disclosure of the truth but its concealment", the motion says.
ND, in its motion, accuses the government and PASOK of first of all trying to conceal the fact that, prior to the October 2009 elections, "and although, in accordance with their own admissions, they were fully aware of the state of the economy, they deliberately lied to the Greek people and liberally made promises to them which, of course, they knew they could not fulfill", at the same time that ND "had clearly and frankly told the truth about the critical state of the economy, at the same time presenting a package of necessary measures".
It also accuses the government and PASOK of "covering up their own immense responsibilities over the fact that for four months -- when the present conjuncture does not allow even a single day to be lost -- they took no adequate and effective measure to confront the crisis, despite the severe recommendations of the European Union bodies, with adverse consequences for the economy, employment and the country's cost of borrowing".
26.02.2010
