Deputy Interior Minister Stelios Petsas apologized on Wednesday, a day after he cynically threatened Greeks that whoever does not switch from natural gas to heating oil “dies!” A statement that triggered an outcry on social media and apparently also in the conservative government and obviously also discontent to prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis personally.
“I apologize as some felt insulted, it was an unfortunate statement” Petsas said in a video he uploaded also on his social media accounts.
On Tuesday morning, the deputy minister told a TV stunned panel of journalists that citizens will have to switch from natural gas to heating oil. When asked whether there would be state subsidy for such changes that costs 3,500-6,000 euros, he said “No” and warned the troubled Greeks “Whoever doesn’t adapt dies!” [see KTG full report here.]
A storm broke out on media and social media for this unprecedented cynical statement by a government minister.
A few hours later he accused main opposition, left-wing SYRIZA for distorting his statement.
On Tuesday afternoon, Petsas posted a brief statement claiming that his “who doesn’t adapt dies” was misunderstood and taken out of context, because in fact he “was referring to the history of human race, social adjustment” and whatever other nonsense and empty argument came to his mind to justify the unjustifiable.
Despite his halfhearted apology, Greeks continue to lash out at him on social media, demanding his resignation.
Many suspect that he was forced to apologize publicly because ruling New Democracy is losing massively in public opinion polls.
note that he is the first minister to apologize for “unfortunate” statements challenging and provoking the society of those who struggle to make ends meet, with inflation over 11% and monthly hikes at the supermarkets.
This still angers me—not his comment, but the gas issue. I live in Northern Greece, and the landlord just installed infrastructure for natural gas in February (before the war) for the whole building, and he raised our rent to offset the cost. There is no way he is going to now put oil, so the choices are to freeze or go broke, it seems! Maybe you can harass or shame home owners to change their energy system, but what about all of us who rent and have no choice???
People need to recognise that he can apologise for the words that came out of his mouth but it won’t alter the thoughts in his head. They stay the same.