CHRONOS of Komotini, I feel like I am an MEP of Rodopi.

“I believe that George Papandreou wants to make Greece like Sweden, in terms of the functioning of democracy, the welfare state, and the participation of women in democratic institutions and decision-making centers,” emphasizes meaningfully the PASOK MEP.

From Europe to Rodopi yesterday, PASOK MEP Anna Karamanou, who briefly left Brussels, toured the villages of the region with parliamentary candidate Chrysa Manolia, spoke with ordinary people, and did her best to direct votes toward a female candidate.

Always polite and humane, the MEP of PASOK and responsible for equality issues in the European Parliament, agreed to answer our questions about the friendship ties that connect her with Rhodope, something she humorously comments on by saying “I feel like I am an MEP of Rhodope.” Her speech is clear, her support for the candidate evident, and the arguments she provides in favor of this are highly convincing:

Mr. Karamanou, what brings you back to Thrace, a region with which we know you have friendships with its people, as well as a love for the area in general?

-“Here, I am brought by my friendship with Chrysa Manolia. She is a capable, worthy woman who truly deserves to be elected not only to parliament but also to participate in the future government. And you know, George Papandreou wants many women in the new government because he is aiming for renewal and change within the party.”

Then, I have come to love the place, I mean I feel like I am now an MEP of Rhodope, having come so many times, I’ve toured almost all the villages, and today especially, I really enjoyed all these cultural events you have. I really like the way you celebrate Clean Monday, it brings people closer together, they eat together, dance, laugh, sing, and of course, I see that women here are leading the way as well.

Most of the women who are pulling the strings in the associations and municipalities are women from the local community, and this gives me particular joy and hope that women will truly have more and more opportunities to showcase their abilities, their imagination, their effectiveness. I deeply believe in the abilities of women, in their right to contribute to public life, to politics. I am sure that our society will become better as more women participate, which is why our new leader places great value on participatory democracy and, of course, the participation of women in political and social affairs.

I believe that Chrysa has shown her capabilities, she was elected the top candidate in the last elections, and a great injustice was done to her. A decision that overturned the people’s will, which had raised her as the top candidate, and it’s not just a matter of injustice—Chrysa is a very capable person with integrity, with determination, and she is also stubborn. She is focused on results, she is not the type of politician who will say nice words, make promises, and then disappear. She is the person I see who is close to the people of Rhodope, who cares, who hurts, who truly suffers for the problems of the area. In this regard, she has made me also take part in addressing the region’s issues in the European Parliament, and I have done so because we also fought here to prevent subsidies for tobacco from being cut, and we secured the subsidies until 2013. But even after that, we will continue to fight, and Greece is not alone. It stands together with other southern European countries—Italy, Spain, Portugal—so we have hope that jobs will not be taken away from the region.

Do you believe that the renewal both in the leadership of PASOK and in the party’s electoral lists will bring positive results in the issue of gender equality?

-George Papandreou is a politician par excellence of dialogue and the man who deeply believes in the respect of human rights, the rights of minorities, and especially the rights of women. He is the only Greek politician who has come out and said that both women and men, 50-50%, should participate in decision-making centers, and let’s not forget that he also has a special connection with Sweden, where he lived as an exile.

He speaks Swedish fluently, and there are times when I dream, but also believe, that George Papandreou wants to make Greece like Sweden in terms of how democracy functions, in terms of the social state, and in terms of women’s participation in democratic institutions and decision-making centers. Because we know that Sweden is the first country in the world, the best, with a government that is 50-50% men and women, and a parliament with 46% women.

It is the country with the most developed social protection system, it has a special sensitivity to the protection of the environment, human rights, and providing aid to the Third World. I wish Greece could become like that, and I believe that Greece has developed enormously over the last 20 years, despite what the opposition says. The standard of living has risen, we have a strong economy, Simitis put the public finances in order, reduced inflation, brought Greece into the eurozone, brought Cyprus into the European Union, and created massive infrastructure projects. Today, Greece has nothing to envy from other countries of the European Union with visionary projects such as airports, ports, a motorway network that even Europe would envy, the Rio-Antirio bridge, and large regional hospitals.

The government of Kostas Simitis produced a tremendous amount of work, and I believe that George Papandreou now has a strong foundation on which he can build modern Greece. That is, to give more attention to everyday life, to the problems of daily living. Simitis, focused on macroeconomics and primarily putting public finances in order, didn’t have the time and perhaps didn’t give the attention he should have to these issues, although this does not diminish the other tremendous work that he accomplished.

George Papandreou will truly have the opportunity to modernize the system, the healthcare system, education, and, above all, to create new job opportunities, so that we no longer have the high unemployment rate among young people today. He has ideas, he has imagination, he has a modern spirit, an innovative spirit, he is a bold politician, and he has proven that he possesses courage and imagination. No one believed, just a few years ago, that he would overturn Greece’s foreign policy and create friendships and cooperation with all the countries of the Balkans, and even with Turkey.

Your relationship and ties with the minority and the Pomak villages are particularly warm. Will you continue on the path you have set?

-I deeply believe in the respect for human rights, regardless of religion or any other origin. I believe that serious mistakes have been made in the policy pursued over many years in the region, in Thrace, both by Greece and by Turkey, of course, because both sides are responsible for what has occurred here in the area. And of course, I will continue because I believe that these people also deserve to have their share of the sun. What remains deeply etched in my memory is the impression I had during the summer when I visited Pomak villages, where young girls, 20 years old, did not speak Greek, did not speak the language of the country in which they were born and live.

How can these women, these young people, gain access to the labor market and how can they take advantage of the opportunities offered to them? Therefore, there is a need for a policy of equality and equity, of equal citizenship and respect for human rights. Today, we live in the European Union, which is a multicultural model. In the European Parliament, I work and communicate wonderfully, without any problems, with members of parliament from 15 different countries, from 25 different cultures, different languages, different religions, and there is absolutely no problem. We collaborate creatively.

Is it possible, then, for people in Thrace not to live harmoniously and peacefully, and with respect for one another, simply because they have different religions or different ethnic origins? These issues have been surpassed in our time, and if you want, it is the challenge of the 21st century. The struggle of the 21st century is primarily about respecting human rights because, having secured a strong economic foundation and having solved the basic problems of daily life, people and politics must now give particular attention to the quality of life. And there can be no quality in our daily lives without respect for one another, without respect for the rights of minorities, of people with disabilities, and the rights of women.

I believe that Chrysa represents the type of politician who will give a boost to these issues of quality, to matters concerning the quality of daily life, the peaceful coexistence of people, the respect for diversity, participation in democracy, decision-making, and the activation of the citizen, what we call participatory democracy, which is also the demand of the new era.

Ms. Karamanou is a woman who has fought passionately for securing equal rights for both genders, disadvantaged social groups, and others, a characteristic that she shares with Ms. Manolia, who has participated in the regional equality committee of Rhodope, the municipal women’s committee, the regional equality committee, and has fought for institutional changes and changes in daily life. She became a partner and companion to all women.


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