Image:(no image defined)Add image:Category & subcategory: Main issue Wine Motoring Property Food Vacancies Ambrosia Coffee ShoIT’S THAT time of year again – the season of the ‘black anniversaries’, during which we have rallies, gatherings and special TV shows to condemn the ‘twin crimes’ ?- the treacherous coup and Attila’s occupation. Disappointingly, the rhetoric has not been anywhere near as bombastic and heroic as in previous years, with the anniversary industry showing worrying signs of fatigue.
I do not think the withdrawal of the heroic freedom-fighter, Dr Madsakis, from public life has anything to do with this. Blame it on the referendum, I say, because it is a tad difficult for people to express their burning desire to return to their homes three months after turning down a proposal to do so.
This was the first time, in 30 years of anniversaries, during which we have not heard anything about the legendary intransigence of the Denktator and the Turkish government, who had been blocking the settlement that would lead to the longed-for re-unification of our wounded plantation. At least imperialism and fascism, which committed the twin-crime, still featured prominently in the declarations.
From next year we will add a white anniversary to the political calendar, and hopefully it will rekindle the fighting spirit which has been so lacking from this July’s subdued events. We will celebrate April 24, the day on which we triumphantly resisted and finally quashed the efforts by foreign powers to dissolve the Cyprus Republic and turn the plantation into a Turkish protectorate.
THE BLACK anniversaries have always been AKEL’s bash and this year was no different. To make sure there was a good turn-out, the commies advertised their coup anniversary rally on the radio as well, laying big emphasis on the “very significant speech to be made” by Commissar Christofias, who was top of the bill.
This must have done the trick, as the proletariat turned out in droves to hear the Commissar deliver his very significant speech, which was a mega-disappointment, even by the low standards with which we judge our party chieftains. The comrades had been taken to Eleftheria Square under false pretences and could have sued the party for misleading advertising.
The Commissar said the referendum was not the end of the road and that AKEL would do everything in its power to secure the re-unification of the plantation, which is what he has been saying ever since he urged his sheep to reject re-unification three months ago. He was in consultations about how to proceed with that other well-known supporter of re-unification, Ethnarch Tassos, he significantly announced.
THE COMMISSAR was flanked on the stage by about 24 comrades, including his ministerial appointees. Also on the stage were the obligatory priest and the four token women who prove that AKEL does not discriminate against women.
But it was difficult to disprove the theory that the Communist Party discriminates against tall men. There were only four tall comrades on the stage, one of whom was commerce minister Lillikas, who is not a real commie. The rest were short and chubby, like their leader.
And it was interesting to note that the tall guys had been banished to the edges of stage, presumably so that the laterally and horizontally challenged Commissar would not suffer, image-wise, by comparison. Another interesting point was that only the tall guys were wearing long-sleeved shirts, giving rise to suspicions that a party directive been issued, which penalised tall comrades.
Was AKEL violating the Human Rights Convention by prohibiting men taller than 5 foot 4 from wearing a short-sleeved shirt? Radio breakfast-show analyst George Iacovou, incidentally, was the only man on stage in a suit and tie, to underline the fact that he does not take his orders from the man who appointed him foreign minister.
STRANGE how the AKEL rally to mark the anniversary of the July 15 coup was held on July 14. Could this have been because every Akelite’s favourite football team, Omonia, was playing a UEFA Cup qualifier on the 15th which would have prevented comrades from going to Eleftheria Square?
After 30 years of mind-numbingly boring black anniversary rallies even the well-trained and disciplined sheep of AKEL would ignore the party’s call when there is something else on, let alone an Omonia match. This is the reason why rallies are no longer held at the weekend. The beach will always be more attractive than Eleftheria Square irrespective of the intergalactic significance of the Commissar’s speech.
THE PREVIOUS government’s noble practice of declaring heroes left, right and centre and offering them special state benefits has been continued by the Papa-Dop government. While the old sea-wolf honoured everyone who distributed an EOKA leaflet during the anti-colonial struggle, the Ethnarch is now honouring all the cops who were on duty during the coup, declaring them ‘fighters of the resistance’.
He is doing this at the behest of AKEL which wants to boost the numbers of its own heroes so it can compete with Right wing parties which have all the EOKA heroes, real and imaginary, in their ranks. All that the hero-industries of successive governments have done is to make a mockery of a few true heroes, who sacrificed their lives fighting for what they believed, by putting them on a par with guys who demand state recognition for not doing very much at all.
Before long, anyone who sacrifices his evening to attend a black anniversary rally will be declared a hero and AKEL will thus top the hero charts.
A TRUE resistance fighter and hero during the coup, Dr Lyssarides was on a radio show on Thursday morning talking about his memories of July 15. He mentioned how Makarios had contacted him to tell him that he was alive, and how he had tried to spread the word. One thing he did not mention on the show was that he staged his resistance to the coup inside the Libyan embassy where he was holed up for days.
SPEAKING of heroes, one has to mention Dr Madsakis’ response to last Sunday’s revelation in Politis that he possessed a large collection of ancient artefacts and antique chests, which he had purchased from the north. Some of these, according to the report, belonged to Greek Cypriots who left them behind when they left the north in 1974.
The doctor admitted he possessed antiquities and explained that he had failed to inform the Antiquities Department about them, as he is legally obliged to do, because of his heavy workload. In a letter he sent out, he explained that he had collected these items because he wanted to safeguard our cultural heritage. The man’s heroism and sense of patriotic duty is truly commendable.
We have no doubt about his intentions, but he may be giving arguments to less honest people than himself. By the same logic, when someone is caught with a huge quantity of drugs, he could say that he’s been buying all drugs he could lay his hands on in order to protect Greek youth.
CYPRUS Chrysostomides may have been government spokesman for 17 months, but he still has not learned the first thing about putting across a convincing argument, let alone the art of effective political spin. Yesterday he gave an interview to the Cyprus News Agency in order to defend the pathetic confidence-building measures announced by the government on Friday.
The interview, which was probably dictated to the hack as the CNA is nothing more than a government propaganda vehicle, was an object lesson in what a spokesman should avoid at all costs. Cyprus used the word ‘sincere’ three times to describe the government’s measures and intentions.
First he said, the measures were announced with “the government’s sincere intention and desire to promote co-operation and trust”; then he said that the opposition’s criticism of the measures was “undermining the sincere efforts of our side”; finally the government was making “sincere efforts” to reach a settlement.
Poor old Cyprus probably has not heard the popular saying that “only a dishonest man advertises his honesty”. Likewise, a well-meaning government like Papa-Dop’s should avoid advertising its sincere intentions in case it creates the wrong impression.
IN THE SAME interview, Cyprus turned on the critics of the government’s measures accusing them of undermining “political stability and unity on the home front” and of “the sincere efforts of our side to achieve our ultimate aim (a solution)”. The negative comments “cause adverse consequences in the course of the Cyprus problem.”
In short we all have to agree and praise the Ethnarch, otherwise we are undermining unity, the Cyprus problem and the government’s sincere efforts to reach a settlement. This is an authoritarian mentality that we would never have credited old Goldenmouth with. Was he expressing his own sincere views or was he just repeating what his boss, who does not take kindly to criticism, told him to say.
THE GOVERNMENT is showing an alarming degree of intolerance to dissent and criticism, which seems as sincere as its confidence-building measures. And its arguments are similar to those used by third world governments, just before they declare a one-party state.
Justice Minister Doros Thedorou has repeatedly used such arguments to counter accusations that the government had tried to cover up the Madsakis case. He described this as vile behaviour that undermined the president and his government. This was a bit rich coming from Doros, the master of the embarrassing generalisation.
This is the guy who some months ago said that 90 per cent of Eastern European women dream of becoming prostitutes. This week he came up with another gem – half the foreigners who came to Cyprus were drug users, he announced. Doros, with his big mouth has undermined the government’s standing much more than any opposition party or newspaper.
HACKS at the state broadcaster, CyBC are also feeling the pressure from the palazzo as it tries to limit opposition and dissent. Presidential commissioner and bosom buddy of the Ethnarch, Polakis Sarris, has been known to call up individual hacks and tell them off for not being tough enough when questioning opposition politicians on the morning radio shows.
It is not bad enough that the air-time, given by the CyBC to opposition politicians, has been restricted to a minimum, the hacks also have instruction to give the poor guys a torrid time in those few minute. Pro-government politicians, on the other hand, are entitled to 20-minute monologues without ever being challenged or questioned, because their word is gospel.
ON THE NIGHT he was elected, the Ethnarch vowed to be ruthless in dealing with rusfeti and corruption. Has he kept his promise? Not in the case of Cyprus Airways, at which it transpired that a company belonging to the wife of the chairman had been awarded the contract for handling the cargo of Eurocypria. The investigation carried out found that incorrect procedures had been followed in awarding the contract to the family of Mrs Loizidou, but the chairman had nothing to do with it.
SPEAKING of rusfeti, we should give an honourable mention to Commerce and Tourism Minister George Lillikas who was instrumental in putting together the deal for the establishment of the Research Centre for Public Health and the Environment in co-operation with Harvard University. The director of the Centre will be his cousin Philippos Demokritou.
Meanwhile, an advertising company in which the Lillikas family has a 60 per cent shareholding has been given the contract for promoting Paphos as a tourist destination. Other ad agencies which had submitted proposal had not even been informed that the Lillikas company would have been tendering for the job, because they would not have wasted their time.
It seems a bit weird that a company owned by the Minister of Tourism, is promoting a specific destination, presumably at the expense other Cyprus destinations.
BAD NEWS for George Iacovou, who from September will have to concentrate on his career as a radio commentator, which pays very badly. That is when the Ethnarch plans to appoint the golden-boy of his government, Lillikas, as foreign minister. This will spare him the hassle of putting positive spins on declining tourist arrivals.
A few days ago he came up with a classic example of spin doctoring. He said that tourist arrivals from France were up by 34 per cent. This may have meant an increase of 3,000 people, but the minister avoided mentioning absolute numbers.
THE CYPRUS Brotherhood, a UK based organisation that represents Greek Cypriots living in Britain had a truly original idea. A bi-communal youth orchestra was in London last week, for a series of workshops, and the Brotherhood invited it to perform at the annual anti-occupation gathering that is held in Trafalgar Square.
This could have created quite an awkward situation considering that more than half the members of the orchestra are Turkish Cypriots. But the orchestra had to fly back to Cyprus today, the very day the gathering is to be held.
In Britain, Greek Cypriots have no problem sacrificing their Sunday to attend an anti occupation rally. Are they more patriotic than us, or is it because they do not usually go to the beach on a Sunday in Britain?
