Government’s anti-social policies will continue – even after the exit from the Memorandum

 

Statement of Stefanos Stefanou, AKEL Political Bureau member

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 28th September 2015, Nicosia

 

In statements made this morning, the Minister of Finance Mr. Georgiades issued the threat – because this is in effect a threat – that the government will implement an even more ambitious program than the one included in the Memorandum.

The message conveyed by the Minister of Finance is very clear: The government and ruling forces, who are more Troika than the Troika itself, will continue and step up its anti-social policies even after exiting the Memorandum, policies that have led to the following:

– dismantling of the welfare state,

– downgrading of the public health system,

– severe reduction in the pensions of low-income pensioners,

– consolidation of unemployment and more specifically of long-term unemployment and youth unemployment to the highest levels in Europe,

– increase in the number of Cypriots living below the poverty line to 240, 000

– the retail trade has been ripped to pieces, the middle class disintegrated and non-performing loans have risen sharply.

Evidently for the government and ruling forces the synonym of poverty  is reform.