PARTIES traded more barbs over the appointment of Kikis Lazarides as new executive chairman of Cyprus Airways (CY) yesterday, while the man himself said he was unfazed by the criticism.
Lazarides, 72, had served at the same post from 1989 to 1993.
His appointment has been billed as part of a restructuring of the boards of directors of both CY and its former charter subsidiary Eurocypria.
A separation of the boards of CY and Eurocypria has been in the pipeline for months since the smaller airline was sold to the government.
The sale of Eurocypria to the government necessitated a split in the two boards, which had three members in common including chairman Lazaros Savvides who is also the Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry.
Remarkably, Lazarides’ appointment to the high-profile job took the most flak from ruling DIKO, the president’s party.
Lazarides is known to be a long-time personal friend of President Papadopoulos.
He holds a number of public offices, including chairman of the Cyprus Olympic Committee, chairman of the board of directors of the University of Cyprus, and chairman of the Cultural Institute. He is also honorary member of the International Olympic Committee.
According to media reports, DIKO had prepared a list of their own candidates for the top job, but were completely ignored by the powers that be.
The moved raised the question of who exactly holds the decision-making powers. DIKO’s instinctive reaction was to attack Finance Minister Michalis Sarris for not consulting with them.
In his defence, Sarris said the decision was taken by the Cabinet. Still, to observers it seemed that DIKO had found an easy target in the Finance Minister, thus dodging direct confrontation with Papadopoulos.
Nevertheless, on Sunday DIKO chairman Marios Karoyian met with the President, to whom he reportedly relayed the party’s “strong objections” over the appointment.
The centrist party toned down its rhetoric, saying there was no clash with Papadopoulos over the matter.
Even opposition DISY said it had no reason to doubt Lazarides’ abilities, but still hinted that the latter was given the job because of his connections.
Government spokesman Christodoulos Pashardis yesterday sought to put an end to the outcry.
“The President is answerable to the people… he is not bound to function according to the desires or views of any party.”
“Even supposing that Mr Sarris made a mistake and did not consult with DIKO, this by no means should be made into a major issue,” he said.
Agriculture Minister Photis Photiou also joined the bandwagon, rallying to the defence of colleague Sarris.
According to Photiou, the decision to name Lazarides as CY chairman had been reached by unanimous vote “following a lively debate” inside the Cabinet.
Meanwhile opposition DISY, which seized the opportunity to accuse the administration of nepotism, homed in on communist AKEL for not opposing Lazarides’ nomination.
DISY wondered whether it was consistent for AKEL to object to the raising of retirement age [in the civil service] to 63, but at the same time be part of a Cabinet that appoints a 72-year-old man to an executive position.
AKEL’s Andros Kyprianou countered, urging DISY to “think before speaking.” He reminded the rightwing party that in the 2003 presidential elections they backed Glafcos Clerides, who was “much older” than Lazarides.
And socialists EDEK said it was “hypocritical” to attack the Finance Minister.
“Just because Mr Sarris is not affiliated to any party, does that make him a punching bag?” mused EDEK boss Yiannakis Omirou.
Greens leader George Perdikis also said they had misgivings about Lazarides’ appointment, adding:
“The President is not infallible.”
Lazarides, the man in the eye of the storm, yesterday released a statement, saying he “would not get dragged into needless debates or confrontations with anyone.
“My sole wish is to move forward, undisturbed, with my mission: the urgent resolution of the critical problems facing Cyprus Airways.”
Lazarides also explained that his terms of employment or pay package were not announced because “I am not seeking a new career or a high-paying position. It is for this reason that I declined to discuss my remuneration with the government.”
Finance Minister Michalis Sarris yesterday confirmed this to the Mail:
“We shall discuss these things [with Lazarides] at a later stage. Mr Lazarides was selected as a hands-on person who can introduce a new style of running things,” he said.
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