In a newly released autobiography, titled Ithaki, the former leader Alexis Tsipras spares no criticism while he revisits the chaotic period during Greece's financial crisis.
A Controversial Appointment
As per the ex-PM's recollections, he selected that maverick academic Yanis Varoufakis to be his finance minister primarily due to his worldwide fame and Varoufakis's “extremely attractive” skills when it came to public orator.
“In reality, he was, actually, more like a personality rather than an economist,” wrote the 51-year-old.
Conflicting Agendas
The former leader alleges that Varoufakis possessed his own agenda which involved advancing Varoufakis's publications and experimenting with his game theories on Greece rather than genuinely fighting for the country's economic stability.
Tsipras wrote that the negotiations to prevent bankruptcy became “not only a way of achieving improved terms for the country. They became a test, an historic opportunity to demonstrate the validity of Varoufakis's ideas.”
Critical Negotiations
During rollercoaster negotiations, Greece found itself perilously on the brink of leaving the single currency area.
At stake was both Greece's destiny and those severe austerity measures demanded in exchange for rescue loans by international creditors.
Failed Options
Attempts to find financing from other sources, such as a desperate plea to Russia to purchase Greek government bonds, were rejected.
Assisting the indebted country would be equivalent to tossing cash into the garbage, the Russian leader is reputed to have informed Tsipras in Moscow.
Referendum Followed by U-Turn
In July 2015, those harsh bailout terms were put to a public vote, a move that threw the EU into further crisis of identity.
Even though the referendum was won resoundingly by those who opposed austerity, Tsipras was forced but to reject its outcome and agree to a bailout package with foreign lenders which turned out to be tougher.
Final Straw
Tsipras claimed how he began to doubt his finance minister relatively soon.
“He was the public image of negotiation, the man who attracted media attention, who graced the covers of publications the world over … he gave the impression he was enjoying his new role.”
When the minister outlined a backup strategy involving establishing a parallel currency as well as distributing coupons to retirees, the leader said he realised that it was the end questioning Varoufakis: “Can you be serious?”
Enduring Rebuke
Within the memoir, Tsipras concludes that his former ally demonstrated himself to be “unsuitable for an agreement that required complex and sensitive handling.”
Tsipras further claimed how his aggressive approach left him increasingly isolated with colleagues, endangered the country, and assisted hardliners who were advocating Grexit.
This account of events has been met with anger along with stunned disbelief in some quarters, whereas Varoufakis has maintained a deafening silence on the matter.
