AKEL ON GOVERNMENT’S PRIVATISATION DRIVE

 

Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Georgos Loucaides

 

The government, eight months after it signed the Memorandum with a provision for the privatization of the profitable Semi-state organisations, appears to be ready to discuss alternatives.

 

To what extent, however, are the government’s intentions sincere?

 

– When, before the 15th March Eurogroup meeting President Anastasiades himself proposed the privatization of Semi-state organizations, in order to find the €5, 8 billion from the “bail-in” he had already accepted.

 

– When, for eight whole months after the signing of the Memorandum, the government not only failed to take any action, nor gave any indication that it is willing to discuss alternative solutions.

 

– When, even after accepting the haircut on the deposits, which led to a significant diversification of the situation concerning the sustainability of the public debt, the government never asserted and did not resist the Troika’s oppressive social and economic demands for privatization.

 

In addition, the government must decide what its position is with regards privatization.

 

Is it the position that the deputy Government Spokesman publicly expressed recently when he argued enthusiastically in favour of privatizations? Is it the long-standing policy of the governing Democratic Rally DISY party demonizing everything public and idealizing everything private, which was documented during the Rally party administration even with a relevant Ministerial Council decision and the tabling of a Bill by the leader of the DISY party Mr. Averof Neophytou for issuing shares of the Cyprus Electricity Authority CYTA and that it be renamed “A Telecommunications”? Or perhaps have the government and the Democratic Rally party suddenly changed in recent days their well-known position in favour of privatizations and are ready even at this moment to assert a differentiation in the relevant Memorandum provision?

 

In any case, as AKEL we reiterate our position that we will never accept the privatization of the profitable Semi-state organisations and the transfer once again of the damage caused by the banks on to people’s backs in order to serve again big private interests and capital, local and foreign. Despite the serious contradictions of the government and ruling forces, to the extent that the government is sincere, it must even at this juncture prove it by seeking alternatives. Towards this end, AKEL is ready to make a creative contribution.