The new Autonomous Citizens’ Platform, established by former senior officials of the Citizens Alliance, who left the party over their disagreement with leader Giorgos Lillikas’ decision to run as a presidential candidate, is against the creation of kingdoms and palaces, it was announced on Saturday.
At the movement’s first meeting on Friday evening MP Pavlos Mylonas – who resigned last month after Lillikas refused to endorse Diko head Nicolas Papadopoulos and insisted on his own bid – referred to the necessity of setting up the platform, stressing that it would be “autonomous and uncompromising, seeking justice, freedom and dignity”.
The new platform said that as regards the Cyprus issue, it opposes a settlement based on a bi-zonal bi-communal federation and proposes “a contending strategy with a strengthened role for Greece and the establishment of alliances”.
In socio-economic matters, the platform aims at staging “bold interventions in public debates and within the House, against corruption”.
In his keynote speech, Stelios Amerikanos – former deputy chairman of the Citizens Alliance – emphasised the credibility of the Platform, which is made up of people who turned their backs to the establishment.
“The goal is to continue a course that does not aim at office chairs and posts. It will not lead to the creation of kingdoms, palaces, courtiers and subjects,” Amerikanos said. He added that to them, politics is a “moral track with prize the common good”.
The platform, he said, is focused on the country’s liberation, on democracy, meritocracy and honesty.
Amerikanos said the platform will “fight against the Turkification of Cyprus”.
As to the operation of the platform, he said that the plenary of the founding members will be the decision-making body.
Former MP Nicos Koutsou said that the platform will be “a bastion for the continuation of the struggles of all those who have been opposing the bi-zonal bi-communal federation for years and are working for a functional solution that will not make Cyprus a protectorate of Turkey”.
Members of the platform also include Citizens Alliance renegades, former spokesman Alexandros Michaelides, and former secretary-general Irene Mandoles.
At the first meeting, the platform’s Founding Declaration was discussed and approved by the participants, as well as the list of members of the platform’s Coordinating Secretariat.
Mylonas said last week that the platform was not a political party, and that it will feature academics and other small organisations and movements which the public may not be familiar with because of limited media coverage.
According to Mylonas, the platform will aim at “social interventions”.
“It will comment on social, economic, domestic policy issues, but – I can’t stress this enough – it won’t be a party,” he had said.
“We reject parties; we believe they serve a purpose other than their stated objectives.”
The renegades share a hardline stance on the Cyprus problem and, in their resignation statement last week they had said they reject “unnatural alliances” – a barb at Lillikas’ eyeing a possible collaboration with main opposition Akel in support of his candidacy.
They had also announced, at the time, that their decisions regarding the upcoming presidential elections would be “collective and clear” and would come “in due time”. With regard to the possibility of backing Papadopoulos, Mylonas had said it’s one option.
“We may back Papadopoulos, or another candidate, or no candidate at all,” he said, stating the obvious – that Lillikas is not an option.
