Greek government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis on Monday hit back at criticism of his proposal on unemployment benefit, telling political reporters that his remarks had been distorted and presented only "half" of what he actually said.
Marinakis said he was repeating himself because Greece was a country where selective editing was used to the fullest, and that he had expressed a purely personal position that was neither a government position nor part of official government planning.
He said the way his proposal had been reported left out key context. According to Marinakis, he never called for scrapping support for the unemployed, but for eventually converting unemployment benefit into a subsidy for employment.
He said his personal suggestion was that, after a certain period, unemployment benefit could be turned into an employment subsidy, with the state paying insurance contributions to businesses so that jobs themselves would be subsidised.
Rejects claims of abandoning the unemployed
Marinakis dismissed suggestions that his proposal amounted to abandoning jobless people, calling such interpretations a distortion. He said he had been talking about subsidising employment and had never suggested discarding anyone.
He pointed out that in earlier remarks he had also referred to the need to protect specific groups, including unemployed mothers and older jobless people, when discussing the idea.
Criticism of PASOK
Marinakis then turned his criticism toward the opposition, singling out the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, PASOK. He said he had not expected to hear from the party that a politician, and especially a young politician, should not be allowed to express personal opinions.
He argued that political debate needed to remain open in Greece, saying people should be able to speak freely and engage in dialogue.
No change to government policy
Closing his remarks, Marinakis repeated that there was no such intention within the government's actual planning. He said he and the government would keep expressing their positions and views and taking part in public debate, without being deterred by those he accused of slinging mud.
Marinakis has served as government spokesperson for Greece's New Democracy administration led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. PASOK, led by Nikos Androulakis, is one of the main opposition parties in the Greek parliament alongside Syriza.
The exchange came amid wider political sparring between the government and opposition parties over economic and social policy in Greece.
