rena dourou talks about greek economy and the region of attica at nyu
Greek politician and newly elected left-wing regional governor Rena Dourou declared that the Greek government is working hard to avoid pulling out of the eurozone and defaulting on its debt, at her speech at NYU Friday evening.
“We are in a very difficult negotiation,” Dourou said. “What we have for granted is that Greek people do not want to return back to drachma.”
Dourou also discussed the challenges she has had to face as the governor of the greater Athens area due to the difficult economic situation the region is in. The unemployment rate among young people has reached 60 percent and 300,000 small and medium sized enterprises have shut down during the last five years.
Dourou argued that a leftist government can provide solutions to these problems by boosting public sector spending and creating new jobs for young people.
“We are an administration from the people, by the people, for the people,” Dourou said, though she did not give specifics of how those people would be recruited in the public sector and where the funds to compensate them would be found.
Members of the audience also raised concerns about the ways in which Dourou would decrease the unemployment rate in the Attica region.
Natalia Bougadellis, 19, a Greek student at the Tisch School of Arts who runs a startup company in Greece said politicians are not reliable, and thus she is reluctant to believe Dourou’s promises.
“Still I haven’t seen results and it’s still only talking,” said Bougadellis who did not vote for Syriza in the general elections in January.
Dourou is also talking about fighting corruption and restoring credibility in politics. For instance, she said she and the new government are committed to eliminating tax evasion by implementing stricter penalties for those who choose not to follow the law. She added that politicians and especially members of the Greek parliament should serve as the primary example for transparency in economic transactions.
Yet, she also cautioned that if she and Syriza fail as a leftist government, that failure will pave the path for the rise of the extreme right-wing party in the Greek parliament, known as Golden Dawn.
“This is the kind of dawn Attica does not need,” Dourou said.
Audience member and professor at the University of Athens Makis Kouzelis who has been a member of Syriza for the past 20 years said he has faith in Dourou, who is inheriting a large budget deficit and high unemployment figures.
“It is not easy to turn that kind of almost a destruction of the country and gaining possibilities of having new jobs,” Kouzelis said.
Dourou was elected as the governor of Attica in municipal elections in May 2014. She won after a tight second round of elections getting the 50.87 percent of the vote, becoming the first woman to be elected in the position.
“The vast majority of the mainstream media used all possible stereotypes against my candidature: the young woman, the inexperienced woman,” Dourou said. “It was a campaign similar to the fight of David against Goliath.”
Before she ran for governor, Dourou had been a member of the Greek parliament with the party of Syriza since 2012. However, she resigned in March 2014 because she wanted to focus on her campaign for the governor position.
Through the leadership positions she has held in the past, Dourou has shown interest in providing support to the underprivileged groups of society. While she was a member of the Greek parliament, Dourou tried to increase social welfare spending from 1.9 million euros to 13.5 million euros. The additional money helped establish food banks, healthcare insurance for those affected by the economic crisis that hit the country starting 2008, and assistance to women who have experienced assault.
Dourou also ensured many households would get electricity after having been disconnected from the power supply for several months due to their inability to pay their bills. This move created tension in parliament as many of her opponents said she was trying to win popularity with irresponsible actions.
Tilemahos Koutsogeorgas, 19, a Greek-American student at the NYU College of Arts and Science said while he is skeptical of the approach Dourou is taking, he is still optimistic that she will be successful in improving the everyday lives of young Greek citizens.
“She’s hopeful,” said Koutsogeorgas who identifies as Independent. “They’re definitely trying to help the young people.”
Overall, Dourou said she realizes the challenges in her position but is committed to honoring the faith Attica citizens showed in her.
“Our responsibilities include acting in a reliable, complete and consistent way as to ensure that the dawn of another Attica becomes a reality for every citizen,” Dourou said.
The event titled The Dawn of Another Attica was part of the Greece Strikes Back event series hosted by the A.S. Onassis Program in Hellenic Studies at NYU with the purpose of informing the public on the political landscape in Greece with Syriza in power.
“We are in a very difficult negotiation,” Dourou said. “What we have for granted is that Greek people do not want to return back to drachma.”
Dourou also discussed the challenges she has had to face as the governor of the greater Athens area due to the difficult economic situation the region is in. The unemployment rate among young people has reached 60 percent and 300,000 small and medium sized enterprises have shut down during the last five years.
Dourou argued that a leftist government can provide solutions to these problems by boosting public sector spending and creating new jobs for young people.
“We are an administration from the people, by the people, for the people,” Dourou said, though she did not give specifics of how those people would be recruited in the public sector and where the funds to compensate them would be found.
Members of the audience also raised concerns about the ways in which Dourou would decrease the unemployment rate in the Attica region.
Natalia Bougadellis, 19, a Greek student at the Tisch School of Arts who runs a startup company in Greece said politicians are not reliable, and thus she is reluctant to believe Dourou’s promises.
“Still I haven’t seen results and it’s still only talking,” said Bougadellis who did not vote for Syriza in the general elections in January.
Dourou is also talking about fighting corruption and restoring credibility in politics. For instance, she said she and the new government are committed to eliminating tax evasion by implementing stricter penalties for those who choose not to follow the law. She added that politicians and especially members of the Greek parliament should serve as the primary example for transparency in economic transactions.
Yet, she also cautioned that if she and Syriza fail as a leftist government, that failure will pave the path for the rise of the extreme right-wing party in the Greek parliament, known as Golden Dawn.
“This is the kind of dawn Attica does not need,” Dourou said.
Audience member and professor at the University of Athens Makis Kouzelis who has been a member of Syriza for the past 20 years said he has faith in Dourou, who is inheriting a large budget deficit and high unemployment figures.
“It is not easy to turn that kind of almost a destruction of the country and gaining possibilities of having new jobs,” Kouzelis said.
Dourou was elected as the governor of Attica in municipal elections in May 2014. She won after a tight second round of elections getting the 50.87 percent of the vote, becoming the first woman to be elected in the position.
“The vast majority of the mainstream media used all possible stereotypes against my candidature: the young woman, the inexperienced woman,” Dourou said. “It was a campaign similar to the fight of David against Goliath.”
Before she ran for governor, Dourou had been a member of the Greek parliament with the party of Syriza since 2012. However, she resigned in March 2014 because she wanted to focus on her campaign for the governor position.
Through the leadership positions she has held in the past, Dourou has shown interest in providing support to the underprivileged groups of society. While she was a member of the Greek parliament, Dourou tried to increase social welfare spending from 1.9 million euros to 13.5 million euros. The additional money helped establish food banks, healthcare insurance for those affected by the economic crisis that hit the country starting 2008, and assistance to women who have experienced assault.
Dourou also ensured many households would get electricity after having been disconnected from the power supply for several months due to their inability to pay their bills. This move created tension in parliament as many of her opponents said she was trying to win popularity with irresponsible actions.
Tilemahos Koutsogeorgas, 19, a Greek-American student at the NYU College of Arts and Science said while he is skeptical of the approach Dourou is taking, he is still optimistic that she will be successful in improving the everyday lives of young Greek citizens.
“She’s hopeful,” said Koutsogeorgas who identifies as Independent. “They’re definitely trying to help the young people.”
Overall, Dourou said she realizes the challenges in her position but is committed to honoring the faith Attica citizens showed in her.
“Our responsibilities include acting in a reliable, complete and consistent way as to ensure that the dawn of another Attica becomes a reality for every citizen,” Dourou said.
The event titled The Dawn of Another Attica was part of the Greece Strikes Back event series hosted by the A.S. Onassis Program in Hellenic Studies at NYU with the purpose of informing the public on the political landscape in Greece with Syriza in power.