Government on Pangalos: "These statements are characteristic of the person who makes them"

Reactions within PASOK are increasing, after Proto Thema's report on the vice president's New Year stay in a luxurious hotel.

The Left Initiative of PASOK is asking for the Prime Minister's intervention, underlining that the provocations of the party's vice-president are "dragging down those that tolerate them".

Also included in the statement are the following: "At the same time that fear, insecurity and terror are a part of the people's everyday life, the vice president of the government is testing the tolerance of the entire populace.  After Pangalos' former statement, 'we all spent the money together', and his input on the counter-productivity of the Hellenic Air Force, the unjust characterizations of public sector employees have been heavy, creating serious reactions as to what the point of said statements might be".

It continues as follows:" The Minister of the Imia fiasco is raising himself above everyone and everything and obviously thinks he can judge everybody. His stance on politics is redolent with his feudal mindset, which drives him to attack his servants in order to keep them repressed".

The Left Initiative states that: "The escape from the present political and economic situation requires a democratic ethos that Mr. Pangalos seems not to possess. Thus, the Left Initiative of PASOK is calling upon the Prime Minister to take the necessary measures against the vice-president due to the boundary-crossing statements that drag down all those who do nothing about them".

The statement concludes with a post scriptum:" Mr Pangalos owes everyone an answer so that we may better understand the definition of corruption: Did he teach his daughter corruption so that she could corrupt him, or did she possess this inherited trait, which led to her appointment to public office"?

Petalotis' statements

Speaking to the press on Monday, the government spokesperson, G. Petalotis, did not take sides on the issues raised by Proto Thema reports, saying that "the government does not need to do so".

"Mr. Pangalos shared his own views in his own way, but already there are official statements on the government's part" Mr. Petalotis commented on Pangalos' recent attacks on public sector employees. He pointed out that: "Mr. Pangalos' views are not representative of the government's".

"The statements are characteristic of the person who makes them", he added.

The fact that Mr. Pangalos is lavishing in luxury while he makes accusations against huge employee groups, has dumbfounded many ministers and parliament members of PASOK.

Many of Prime Minister G. Papandreou's close co-workers are distancing themselves from Mr. Pangalos, refusing to cover for him.

Sources mention that Mr. Papandreou is going to send a message to everyone, but specifically aimed at Mr. Pangalos, that the government does not adopt behaviours of luxurious living while taking such harsh measures relating to the people.

In reality, Mr. Pangalos is becoming a foreign body as far as the government is concerned, since -as admitted by many party members- he rarely carries out any tasks that the Prime Minister has assigned him with .

Nothing is certain on Pangalos' future within the government, but it is unlikely that the Prime Minister will take any extreme measures at this point in time, even if this specific parliament member is now a weight to be dragged around by the government during its attempt to justify its measures as honest and heartfelt.