Sir,
Cypriot society is plunging headlong into long-term decay. An island once famous for its hospitality family values and friendly people can now be seen to have dramatically changed.
Present day Cyprus, an affluent nation, a new member of Europe has had its ideology refashioned by excess. I refer to two articles that appeared in the edition of June 29, the opinion article from the Sunday Mail itself (Our society is spinning out of control) and a letter from Mr Bob Crowther (Disgust at scooter gangs running rampage in Protaras).
They jointly contribute to my belief that Cyprus is on the very edge of catastrophe – the actual creation of a society mirrored by a British role model. In living memory the UK was once a well organised and caring society that has now manifested itself into a country with careless attitudes – encompassing the socially rude to the materially greedy – devoid of standards or respect for fellow citizens. The United Kingdom has few friends among the league of civilised nations and little chance of change after producing generations of godless and unprincipled young people.
One bemoans Cypriot overindulgence towards their children, the pampering and failure to censure misbehaviour. The evidence is everywhere as we observe truculent youngsters to whom nothing seems to appease. Our young people grow up far more quickly than we did – more disgruntled with life as they are plied with whatever they demand. Parents striving to keep up with friends and neighbours, borrow more and more. The public family image is all-important and as a result financial pressures are increasing, demand for yet more and more always there.
Across the land as the evening sun fades, almost as by a signal, adolescents take control of the local environment. The streets are suddenly alive with screeching tyres, speeding vehicles, insanely revving engines and those blessed exhausts – tampered with to make them even noisier!
It would not be inaccurate to say that in most villages at night (certainly mine) young males, some well under the legal driving age, without licences, road tax, insurance, lights or crash helmets make an absolute and very dangerous nuisance of themselves. The amazing thing is that adults are struck deaf and blind. This activity goes on and on for hours and no one seems to notice or care.
The police who are in evidence during the daytime, busy with speed radars and traffic violations on main roads are nowhere to be found in the village. It’s as if we simply do not care that the young have become unruly, disobedient and unlawful. How many parents are actually ignorant to these anti-social activities? Particularly after having supplied the powerful machines in the first place.
The next phase in this process of decline has already begun – the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Thereafter, the onstreet presence of gangs – intimidation, damage and nuisance. Anyone who stands up to these people will suffer attack and worse. The family home will become a sanctuary, a hiding place for the frightened with the low life busy establishing and enforcing their territorial boundaries. These people will be found in everyday life, indignant and untouchable because their human rights somehow take precedence over everyone else’s. Our police authorities because the sheer scale of lawlessness overwhelms them are then impotent legally to deal with the resultant crime-wave.
Cypriots, WAKE UP! Before it is too late! The world admires your family values, basic honesty and culture. Money is the root of all evil and it has come into your possession too quickly. Being selective with those laws you decide to obey and ignoring those you deem are obviously not meant for you, only others, is the road to ruin. Remember a major factor in why many of us foreigners came here is because of the anarchy and social degradation that has over-powered our own countries – only to witness the on-set of the whole cycle again here in Cyprus.
Ray Clark,
Dasaki Achnas
