Ever get a sense of d?j? vu when surveying the political scene…?
EVER get the feeling that, for as long as you can remember, the same people have been looming over public life? You do, huh? Well, rest easy, because you’re not alone. It does indeed seem that throughout the years certain folks are being recycled in and out of high-profile posts, be it ministerial portfolios, semi-governmental organisations, or public and private associations with fancy names. It all gives rise to a sense of stagnation, that things are not moving forward.
No doubt the situation has improved somewhat since the stale days of the 1980s and even the 1990s. Younger, energetic people with fresh ideas are slowly coming to the fore. Yet in spite of everything, a quick look at the persons running things today still leads to the impression that, here in Cyprus, plus ?a change, plus c’est la m?me chose.
To illustrate, see below a snapshot of 10 well-known figures active in public affairs. By far the “hottest” places to be are Cyprus Airways and the Electricity Authority. Positions on the board of directors of banks are also much coveted.
Kikis Lazarides
President of Apoel football club 1974
Chairman of the Cyprus Sports Organisation 1975-1983
President of the Cyprus Olympic Committee 1984 till present
Group Chief Executive of Laiki Bank 1972
Chairman and CEO of Laiki Bank 1992-2006
Chairman of Cyprus Airways 1989-1993
Currently: Chairman of Cyprus Airways, chairman of the board of directors of the University of Cyprus, chairman of the Cyprus Cultural Foundation, honorary member of the International Olympic Committee.
Fotis Fotiou
Member of board of directors at the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) 1993-1999
Member of the board of directors of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) 2000-2003
Chairman of the CTO 2003-2006
Currently: Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources & the Environment
Giorgos Lillikas
Special advisor to former President George Vassiliou 1988-1990
Acting government spokesman, January to June 2006
Minister of Commerce, January to June 2006
Currently: Foreign Minister
Christodoulos Christodoulou
Permanent secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, appointed 1989
Permanent secretary at the Ministry of Labour, appointed 1985
Finance Minister 1994-1999
Minister of the Interior 1999-2002
Governor of the Central Bank May 2002 to April 2007
Lazaros Savvides
Director of the Telecommunications Department at the Ministry of Communications, appointed 1992
Alternate permanent secretary at the Ministry of the Interior, appointed January 2004
Permanent secretary at the Ministry of the Interior, appointed December 2004
Chairman of the board of directors of Cyprus Airways, 2005-2007
Currently: Electoral Commissioner, member of the Cyprus Technical Chamber, Chairman of the board of directors at Eurocypria
Akis Kleanthous
President of the Cyprus Stock Exchange, 2003-2007
Currently: Minister of Education
Andreas Gavrielides
General manager of the Cyprus Dairy Industries Organisation, 1981-1988
Minister of Agriculture, 1988-1993
Minister of Health, 2005-2006
Antonis Vassiliou
Municipal councillor for Nicosia, 1986-1996
President of the Medical Association, appointed 1997
Member of the Broadcasting Authority
Currently: Minister of Labour
Frixos Savvides
Minister of Health, 1999-2003
Vice-chairman of Cyprus Airways, appointed March 2005
Served as member of the Anti-Narcotics National Committee, member of the board of directors at the Broadcasting Authority
Currently: President of Apollon football club
Charilaos Stavrakis
Served on the board of directors of the Cyprus Refineries Organisation
Currently: Chairman of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus, deputy CEO of the Bank of Cyprus
It’s tempting to resort to the conspiracy theory that, on this small island, a small group of families are calling the shots.
And, according to political analyst Louis Igoumenides, that is not too far from the truth.
“I wouldn’t say that it’s certain families that are running the show, but rather cliques of friends… what we could call ‘the establishment.’
“In most cases, but not all, we are dealing with the generation of the 1960s and their successors. People with strong ties to Makarios, a ruling elite that has stayed more or less intact. And this cuts across all political parties,” said Igoumenides.
“Other than being monolithic, this is certainly not the best way for a society to progress. Sadly, it is often the case that not the best people occupy key jobs. Maybe one guy’s serving in Town Planning one day, the next he crops up at the Health Ministry. The truth is, the majority of the top honchos, especially in governmental departments, are bureaucrats and administrators with little drive or imagination.”
But Igoumenides is not altogether pessimistic. “Now that we have joined the European Union, inevitably there is greater mobility. I think that right now we’re seeing the ‘establishment’ trying to resist this trend, though ultimately it’s a lost cause.”
And in his view, the Church is the “glue” that’s striving to keep the old system together.
“Look at the Archbishop’s comment, for instance, that the Bank of Cyprus should remain in local hands, that it should not be usurped by foreigners. It gives you some clue as to the prevailing mentality that ‘our gang’ should stay in charge.”
In his view, the problem is not so much that a gerontocracy is in charge of the country.
“Even when the older generation calls it quits, it is their children who will take over. Take the sons and daughters of 60 or even 50-something politicians – they’re being groomed, and some are already in the spotlight. It’s like a succession, a dynasty…”
Psychologist and social commentator Yiangos Mikellides prefers the term “brotherhood”.
He told the Mail that today, almost all the bigwigs in politics and finance have ties – directly or indirectly – to the EOKA uprising of the late 1950s and to the subsequent Makarios regime.
“Look, Cyprus is a small country and there’s not that much money going round. The cash is basically in the hands of the government, which decides who should get a piece of the action. And you guessed right, it’s this clique that gets all the contracts and commissions. Say the Electricity Authority wants to buy electrical masts… who do you think is going to land the contract? Some outsider? Not likely.
“They’re a small band, each one looking out for the other. A cosa nostra of sorts,” said Mikellides.
Soteris Sampson, one of the younger active politicians in the land, thinks that talk of a so-called “insular system” is exaggerated.
“In my experience, things here are not as dormant or close-knit as we often make out. Take the Parliament elected last year. A lot of new faces – not necessarily young – made it inside. And as for other aspects of public life, it would be wrong to say that Cyprus is not a place for up-and-comers. I think the danger is that when you complain too much about immobility, it tends to become a self-fulfilling prophesy.
“Certainly there are able young people out there. What we need to do is get them interested, get them involved. How? That’s the million-dollar question.”
But Sampson was completely in agreement with the view that certain figures were being recycled.
“There’s a joke that goes like this. Sometime in the 1980s a Chinese delegation comes to our island. As part of their tour, they pay a visit to Cyprus Airways, where they meet the boss, who is Kikis Lazarides. They get into the usual embraces, pleasantries etc etc.
“Next day the Chinese head out to KOA (Cyprus Sports Organization) t
o meet the boss. And lo and behold, there’s Lazarides again. They go through the same motions: handshakes, kisses. Their last stop was the Popular Bank. Bamboozled, they’re greeted at the door by a grinning Lazarides.
“Anyway, on their way out, one Chinese delegate turns to a colleague and says: ‘Ha! And they say we all look the same.’”
