THE COMICAL saga over whether DIKO will stay in the government or leave should, in theory, draw to a conclusion today when the members of the party’s central committee vote on the issue. In theory, because if the executive bureau’s proposal to stay in the government is carried by a narrow margin, the supporters of the political divorce will feel strengthened and carry on their attacks on the government.
They could also direct their fire at their own party leader Marios Garoyian and split the party in two. If this were to happen, Garoyian would have only himself to blame as he has managed to turn what was supposedly an issue of principle into an exercise in political horse-trading. It will be very difficult for him to defend himself against charges of political shabbiness and opportunism – some were made at Saturday’s marathon meeting of the executive bureau – by his opponents.
His oft-repeated assertion that for DIKO the national problem was above everything else was exposed as a joke after his two meetings with President Christofias last week. Christofias had refused to satisfy DIKO’s conditions for staying in the government – that he withdrew his offers for a rotating presidency and the 50,000 Turkish settlers made at the talks – but as a compromise proposed that he would include a DIKO member in his negotiating team.
To help Garoyian sell his proposal to his party, Christofias also sent him a letter in which he disingenuously claimed that, as the negotiator, he had the ability to amend positions, add to them and replace them. He did not mention rotating presidency and the settlers but his claim could have been interpreted as referring to these proposals. Was he trying to deceive DIKO, or was he seriously considering withdrawing his proposals – despite having said in the past that any such move would destroy his credibility at the negotiations – in order to save the alliance?
In the end, Christofias has not done himself any favours in his efforts to save an alliance with a party which has been viciously slamming his policies for more than a year. It was DIKO deputies who accused him of being a champion of concessions and of submitting proposals that had been made in the past by Rauf Denktash. They have also repeatedly disparaged his economic policies. Why would he want to preserve an alliance with a party which has been among his most unforgiving critics? Cynics might argue that he is already making plans for his re-election, and it would be difficult to disagree with them.
Assuming that the DIKO central committee votes to stay in the government today, it will not be long before we know how Garoyian’s loyalty to the alliance was renewed – there are currently two vacant ministerial posts that need to be filled. But is it possible that Garoyian has sacrificed his principle on the Cyprus problem for a couple of ministries? All will be revealed soon.
