Sir,
Over the past few days I have been trying to capture the spirit of the growing anti-Annan plan no camp. When I think about how some people have actually taken a stance I remember the scene from Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. Change has come to Rome and Mark Anthony is on top of the murdered body of Caesar and cries:
[…] And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate’ by his side come hot from Hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war […]
William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene I, ca 1608.
The no camp is picking up momentum, illustrating our democratic capacity, but also offering food for thought, and that scares me. It scares me because the whole issues are in tandem with the most common Cypriot (or shall I say Greek Cypriot for their sake… since they are turning it in to a ‘them versus us’ issue) characteristic: emotions. Can all of us really make any definitive conclusions about the proposed solution? Can we really go on and fire blank shots without really knowing? Is Caesar actually dead? Are we Mark Anthony on top of the dead body?
I keep on wondering whether I am re-living a déjà vu situation. When was the last time that all of a sudden self-styled gurus popped up and made a similar goulash out of the emotions of the people?
The question is simple; rewind a couple of years back. One cannot refrain from remembering how news was rallied around the island regarding the stock exchange. People’s emotions with respect to making easy money were in essence embezzled. The question that remains is whether we learnt anything about that emotional outpouring of actions? Clearly not.
At this particular point in history our politicians seem to be playing ball in the right way. They are to a large extent marketing a strange sense of unity. Cannot some of us fall in line with this strategy? Or are deeper interests involved by various deeply concerned citizens?
How about mustering the complex issues at hand and discussing them with arguments in order for individuals to make informed decisions rather than merely lashing out emotionally over things on hearsay.
So, really, what does remain next: T-shirts, bumper stickers (or have I seen that one?) mugs? The all American way: GO FOR IT NO CAMP
Anthos I. Shekeris,
Nicosia