THE reason given by the ministers of interior and labour for refusing to attend a House Watchdog Committee meeting, which was to discuss the benefits paid to asylum seekers and political refugees, was perfectly understandable.
As interior minister Neoclis Sylikiotis pointed out at a news conference, he had already attended a meeting of another House committee which had discussed this issue and saw no reason for going over the same things again.
The ministers had written to the House president explaining that they had attended several committee meetings discussing the benefits paid to immigrants last year and he agreed that the parallel discussion of the same issues by House committees should be avoided. Despite the House president’s position, which was shared by party leaders, deputies still accused the ministers of showing contempt for the legislature and dealing a blow to the foundations of our democracy.
It was nothing of the sort. In fact the ministers were correct to take a stand against the mindless populism of deputies, who know that campaigning against state benefits for immigrants is a vote-winner. With parliamentary elections just four months away, deputies would be more than happy to have a committee meeting at which they could express their outrage about immigrants’ benefit payments, every week. Someone had to put an end to this absurdity.
Sylikotis was absolutely right when he said on Tuesday: “The examination of the same issues by different House committees contributes nothing of substance to the formation of policy and only serves the designs of the populists who want to transform the House of Representatives into another arena for their campaigning for the forthcoming parliamentary elections.” Nothing more needs to be said.
Lapse in Sense
LAST Sunday, the 14-year-old son of Turkish settlers crossed to the Republic with a couple of older friends by jumping over a fence on the city walls, close to Paphos Gate. The three youths had a meal at a restaurant in the old town, then tried to run away without paying. The 14-year-old was caught by the restaurant owner and handed over to the police.
A colossally absurd decision followed. The teenager, escorted by a social worker, was put on a plane to Athens, from there to board a plane to Turkey. He would then have had to make his way back to the north to re-join his parents. The authorities would no doubt say that this was the legal way of dealing with the teenager, as he had entered Cyprus territory illegally and had to be sent back to Turkey.
Would it not have been much cheaper to take him to the Ledra Street checkpoint and tell him to go home? It seems the authorities are incapable of allowing common sense to influence decision-making.
