Ex-Greek Prime Minister and current leader of the opposition New Democracy party Antonis Samaras lashed out at prime minister Alexis Tsipras.
Calling for a pro-European alliance to form amongst like-minded Greeks and public demonstrations, he said “We won’t let anyone turn Greece into Zambia.”
Samaras accused Tsipras of dishonesty with the Greek people. “You are not telling the Greek people what a “no” means. No means bankruptcy and euro exit,” he said in parliament, in reference to the referendum that Tsipras announced over the weekend.
Samaras added that a “no” vote means bankruptcy, euro-exit, suicide— something he accused Tsipras on not mentioning when he claimed he represented the “drachma lobby.”
“You failed dramatically and loudly Mr. Tsipras,” Samaras said, adding that “I state it clearly, us Greeks want to remain firmly in the heart of Europe … The referendum drags the country out of Europe,”
44 comments
Mr. Samaris…why don’t you tell the people what a “Yes” means and let’s not put the cart ahead of the horse…we’re talking about whether or not to accept a proposal…not about leaving the E.U., although depending on how things pan out, this may be the right decision.
Mr Samaras is not a sincere man believe you me.He does not mean well for your country !
What a morally bankrupt politician mentioning Zambia in the same sentence with a bankrupt state. Don’t you know that all roads lead to Zambia …people drool over our mineral wealth, resources, , peace, natural beauty and a frontline state that liberated and bank rolled all our neighbours. Zambia is a peace haven where justice prevails just ask all the economic immigrants there including Greeks. When have we ever knocked on your door,? You come to us not the other way round.
Your Comment
It Is Very Interesting To See Zambians Defending Their Achievement.
Samaras Does Not Want To Pay Debts While Zambia Does.
Interesting indeed. With an economy the size of Zambia’s, the $9 billion total debt that is owed to both internal and external creditors has made the country highly indebted yet again. Just last month the country defaulted on a $150 million owed to PTA bank for oil procurement. A few years ago, Zambia failed to pay back $7 billion and had to be “forgiven” under the HIPC initiative. So as lovely a picture Mrs Shenton is trying to paint, the country is not only in a fiscal mess but is well on its way to financial doom unless something is done to curtail is wanton debt contraction.
Exit from the EU IS NOT PART OF THE CRISIS. GREECE WOULD HAVE TO CHOOSE TO DO SO.
Solve your problems as Greece and desist from mentioning other countries that have nothing to do with your economic problems. Zambia, all things being equal, is far better off than the country you are trying to compare it with. Don’t pass the buck, solve your problems.
I guess Zambia is waaaayyyyy better than Greece
Tell your opposition leader not to compare a failed economy like Greece’s to Zambia. Our date is in the 8-10 billion dollar range whilst greece has a deficit of over 300 million euros, the greek economy is stagnant requiring bailouts, whilst we are getting new investors all the time with a positive growth of above 6% for the past 5 years. Zambia is a much much better economy than Greece and is improving all the time.
It is an insult to Zambia and its people as well as the local Greek community for a former Greek PM to make such a derogatory comment. For your information, today the President of Zambia will be officiating the opening ceremony of a newly built shopping mall by a Greek businessman in Lusaka. Congratulations to Zambia!
Mr. Samaris, while your concerns, for were the Greek economy is headed, are appreciated, your comparison to the Zambian situation is totally misplaced. Zambia has seen annual GDP growth of more than 6% for the past five years and is on course for another year of more than 5% growth. Hardly a bad situation especially for Greece which has seen mostly negative growth during the same time period. Zambia is currently the bread basket of southern Africa, while Greece is the basket case of Europe.
Leave Zambia out of this. We have a lot of your Greeks fighting to live in Zambia. come to our immigration department and see how they are doing everything possible not to return to Greece. Its paradise here for them. Think about that before you go mentioning our country. SMH!
Mr Samaras You messed up Greece before you left office.Before PM Tsipras assumed office, he found the problems you single handle created for the nation of Greece. Therefore,l say unto you sir that concentrate on cleaning up the mess you brought upon your country.
Despite you being a seasoned politician and successful business man you still exhibit signs of dementia .How is Zambia and Greece related ? Have you seen Zambia going for bailout or austerity issues ?No!
Help Greece and stop bringing Zambia into your mess . .
2016 lets jst vote wize
Greece never had anproblem when we had our own currency
ever since we change to euro we have been having problems
so lets go back
Why mention Zambia in your statement.
What has my beloved Zambia got to do with the Greece debt crisis? Zambia is capable of meeting its debt obligations, while Greece is on the verge of defaulting. However, I am flattered to hear Zambia being mentioned in the Greek Parliament. I love my Zambia!
I don’t think he meant Zambia but it’s still a scary thought for Zambians. I can see Zambia soon turning into a Greece if we are not careful
yeah
I’m ashamed as a Zambian citizen for politicians in Greece to use their own financial mismanagement and inability to run the financial affairs of the country to degrade my country. Truth is, on all economic fronts, Zambia has outperformed Greece!! Our Debt:GDP ratio is far much better than that of Greece, we have more than doubled our revenue, and 70% of our budget is financed through taxes ( this has been true for the last 5 years).
Unlike Greece, we are not failing to honor our debts, and we are more than attractive to foreign investors. GREECE cant even issue out any debt; so why would Mr. Samaras compare his failed country to my country? NO. His comments were condescending and lacked clairvoyance for a man who wants to move Greece in the right direction. I categorically reject the insulting comment and wish the people of Greece a speedy recovery.
The economic facts are clear, Greece is a victim of what all budget economists continue to advise against; overspending on a low revenue budget. The economics are simple: CUT EXPENDITURES and maintain your revenue. This is what we are doing in Zambia and what we are fighting for. Financial mismanagement is an issue that politicians all over the world face; because they are not economists; SPENDING wont get you out of trouble. Proper fiscal conservatism is what builds nations!! Zambia will continue to experiential with its development, but reaching the level Greece has reached wont be our destiny!!
Zambian Citizen
George Mtonga
This man knows something because he can’t be talking from the blues.
I urge all well meaning Zambians to take keen interest in this statement because it is very alarming
The opposition leader is a mouse and an idiot tawakatekepo ichalo we mwana wa mbwa kolwe pushi kwindi nafulwasana idiot iwe
Greece is far much worse than zambia, here’s a couple facts, zambia debt $8bn greece debt $302.9bn. Greece banks are closing due to liquidity challenges the zambian banking secotr is flourishing, greece economy is going down zambias is on the rise.. Zambia and greece are two very different countries.. Sir Live our beautiful country out of ur mess
All I read and hear is how Greece cannot pay. Where’s the discussion about more privatization of business, the real “will” to fix the problems. How crazy is it to put the “fix” in with a referendum that is as phoney as a 2 Drachma Bill! Does anyone believe that exiting the Euro solves Greeks problems? Europe will kick you out and then what? Mr. Putin is waiting? Signing an oil agreement with the devil in the background to all of this is nuts. Where is the so called “blessing” of this Mr. Tsipras you elected? I get the Zambia metaphor. Read the history and you can see where Greece is heading.
What the opposition MP means is that Zambia unilaterally pulled out of the IMF support programme in the 1990s when Kenneth Kaunda was president and the result that that all credit was shut down, the country was isolated, and we had to go back getting to the IMF, with stricter conditions. This is history, for those who were old enough at that time. It is a warning to the Greek people that their government is being irresponsible.
I meant 1980s when Kaunda was president of Zambia. He unilaterally pulled out of an IMF programme and said he would stop paying back what he owed the IMF.
Thanks John for the insight. It is important to process information in the correct context.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCF935dS5pA
The narrative below this youtube post does offer some clarification. Unless this was another incident.
@ john phiri, don’t make assumptions for what he said. for a politician seeking to lead Greece in future his comment involving Zambia was completely unnecessary and so immature of him. Greece is currently on the path to being a failed state and he will do well to remain focused and channel all his energies in helping his country without creating other problems in his country’s relationships with other nations other than the European union.
Finally a WISE VOICE from the East. That’s why I did not comment because I thought the Greek Opposition guy was not hallucinating from a Tower of Ignorance. Butt it’s really ‘refreshing’ to read the condemnation from ‘informed’ Zambians.
I think Samaras just got tongue twisted. What he meant to say was that he wont let anyone turn Zambia into Greece.
Lol!! What books does Mr Samaras read. Aah this is interesting.
Zambia and Greece in the same sentence? We are talking the Olympic games or economics? Surely on the economic front the two as far removed as night and day. Maybe he meant to mention our closet Southern neighbour? However we do love our Greek friends, don’t we? What with all the Greek restaurants in Zambia now…C’mon! Lets Get Them To The Greek!
Thats a problem of having a pile of dull politicians. So the whole lot of Greece is housing such scums of politicians who can’t resurrect their economies but only manage to make vague comparisons with a bullish nation economically.
Why compare the rubbish failed state of Greece with Zambia? Its a total insult to compare the failure of Greece type whose Debt is greater than its GDP.
Instead of squatting in your nonsensical parliament that allowed abandoning of your local currency, and concentrate on debating on how to exhume your dead economy from the Euro grave….
Zambia is miles way better than this collapsed thing called Greece.
Greece is now in the same category with Somalia becoz even Congo DR ravaged in war is better than Greece….
Hello dear friend.
Just because an idiot said something foolish there is no need to call my country “rubbish” and “thing”.
I agree with you that politicians are a waste of skin.Dont put as all in the same basket.
There are people in Greece fighting for good and peace.Give them a chance.We are beeing “hit to death” from Europe for a long time. Not all of us want to stay in Europe.
Last but not least dont forget our “place” in the map.We are in the middle of east and west.Everybody wants a bit of that.( Germans were always in the side of Turkey so… )
Thank you.
I have no problem with you, dont take it personal and well done for your country economic growth.
Is this former MP in order, trying to compare the price of sour grapes to the price of copper or rather
comparing “Greece to ZAMBIA”.
Hello my friends from Zambia.
Please dont give much attention to Samaras.He is going down.
He NEVER gave a smart answer to anything.
Greetings from Greece.
Why mention Zambia though? Very misinformed! That’s ignorance in a suit right there…. Malaka!
THATS WHERE ZAMBIA IS HEADING TO, RECKLESS BORROWING
Greece better pray that German Chancellor, Angela Merkel changes her mind and intervenes. Although they’re busy negotiating with Troika to stay in the Eurozone, Germany under Merkel’s leadership has been the lead architect of the loans-for-austerity policy Europe has used to manage the Greek debt crisis. Now madam Merkel is very willing to let the Greek default coz Greece is a costly burden on the continent. They can compare Greece to Zambia all they want, but they have bigger problems than us. Good luck Greece.
Mr. Tsipras reminds me of the Greek proverb: “Lucky is the man who plants pebbles and harvests Potato’s.
Greece is a fragile state..Zambia has US$ 4.8 billion debt as at present..Don’t compare the crisis of Greece to Zambia
In 2001 Zimbabwe defaulted in their payments to the IMF. How wonderful Greece can identify itself to the third world of Africa. What a prestigious place to be in the 21st Century. Even The Great Obama wants no part of this. Are you starting to feel lonely Mr. Tsipras?
Zambians better just work up and learn to manage negative feedback. Its a work up call that you need to check your steps… i am sure and its clear to see that Zambia is currently being mismanaged into heavy uncontrolled borrowing… just pray the borrowed money is not ending in peoples pockets but in developmental projects – we have witnessed a lot of that in the past… Shame on the current leadership in Zambia WAKE UP!