PERMANENT Secretary of the Defence Ministry Petros Kareklas yesterday dismissed the implorations of some parents to get their sons out of the army as “exaggerations”, reassuring them that conditions in the army had improved “beyond recognition”.
He said two years of service contributed greatly to the “atmosphere of safety in society”, as well as to the individuals themselves.
“When a boy finishes school, he has not yet gone through any kind of experience that can teach him to behave and think like a young man.
“We believe that spending time in the NG teaches boys how to become adults, and prepares them mentally to deal with the hardships and difficulties that they will face during the rest of their life, be it when they go to study abroad or when they are expected to start work.”
When asked about how the NG can continue to justify its long term of service during a time when peace negotiations are ongoing and apparently yielding results, he was very clear.
“While we view the negotiation process in the same positive light as we do any effort to bring about a resolution to the overhanging problem of Cyprus, and while we can see the positive steps being made in bringing the two communities of the island closer together, a change in the military situation of the island has not been observed in even the slightest instance.
“There are still around 43,000 Turkish troops illegally occupying the island, and they have not adopted a single change in their tactics or strategy. For this reason, the idea of altering the way our NG operates is not viable.”
Kareklas admitted that the situation of the NG was “not perfect, but changes are being made all the time”, adding that the ministry has made concerted and serious efforts in making the army a lot more human-centred, with officers and lieutenants all instructed in a serious terms to treat new conscripts with respect.
“Just as an example, the food when I was in the army normally looked and tasted like something that was supposed to be mashed potatoes – nowadays there are professional cooks who prepare a variety of high-quality meals for the soldiers. There are internet cafés, they are allowed to use their mobiles – the improvements have been immense.”
Kareklas argues that people should feel proud to provide a service to their country for a couple of years. He added that the NG, aside from providing the psychological sense of safety to ordinary citizens, “is also engaged in humanitarian missions whenever it is possible, from fighting forest fires to aiding in the co-ordination of refugees arriving from Lebanon in 2006.”
However, disillusionment with the idea of having two years of one’s youth dedicated to serving the country is a facet of contemporary Cypriot society that will be hard to change. Regardless of the assertions that service in the NG is a useful experience, it remains a challenge of the government to justify the situation to the thousands of young men who are compelled by law to undertake the process every year.
Parents take the lead in anti-conscription league
A DESPERATE mother’s pleas for her son to be released from compulsory military service were publicised up yesterday, with the Defence Ministry admitting it had been inundated by parents seeking to have their child exempted from the call-up.
The lengths to which parents will go to prevent their sons from being conscripted into the army was brought to light yesterday, after the woman’s plea featured in the list of requests for discharge submitted to the Defence Ministry.
In her emotional letter to the ministry, the woman said her teenager was an only child and the mere thought of him in the National Guard had seen her become heavily dependent on sedatives to quell her anxiety. She said she feared for her life if he were to be conscripted.
The ministry says it has been inundated with letters and phone calls over the last couple of days from parents with similar requests. Others have called to request their sons immediately be posted immediately to army camps close to home after their oath of allegiance.
Phileleftheros newspaper crudely described some parents as “resorting to obtaining a ‘loony paper’ for their kids”, “informing the ministry of their offspring’s own quirks and idiosyncrasies that in their opinion makes them incapable of serving effectively”.
The increase in parents attempting exempt their sons from military service comes amid renewed attempts by the Defence Ministry to come up with alternative options.
Speaking to parliament yesterday, Defence Minister Costas Papacostas repeated his belief that the phenomenon was a “ticking time bomb” and that his ministry would have a proposal to be presented for approval in parliament in a month’s time, which could provide an alternative service that conscripts could opt for.
