Speech by Andros Kyprianou, General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL, at an event honoring Party veterans

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 19th March 2016, Nicosia

 

We are here today to honor the generations who laid the foundations for the development of the People’s Movement of the Left; the generations that brought it to where it is today. Our Movement is a force deeply rooted in the consciousness of the working people, in the consciousness of the Cypriot people. We are here today to honor those generations who turned the yearning and grief into a material force, as our great poet Theodosis Pierides wrote. They converted the people’s heartbreak into a decision to struggle; converted the pain, anger and rage into the waging of battles.

These battles were waged for the dignity of the working man and woman, for justice and rights. There is not a single gain won by workers, whether it is the eight hour working day, or social insurance or healthcare, which does not bear the stamp of the People’s Movement of the Left. These gains were defended until the end by the thousands of workers and peasants which were led by AKEL in the struggles waged.

In our Party’s 90-year history there have been cases of leading figures that mistakenly believed and loved more the “I” than the “we”, the personal rather than the collective. Leaders who, as the late General Secretary of our Party Ezekias Papaioannou noted, may leave the party one day, but ignore the fact that they themselves are not the Party; that the Party is its hundreds of militants, its thousands of members, the working people, farmers, young people – what “experts” deprecatingly term “the party grass roots and base.” This is what we call the people of labour and toil.

All of you, you are the Party. The comrades, as the verse of the poem says, who are accustomed to confronting fires without fear.

The generations of comrades who worked in the underground.

The generations of comrades who were carrying leaflets and the Party newspaper from one end of Cyprus to the other.

The generations of comrades with a thousand precautions who held secret party cell meetings and whisked away their hunted comrades in the dark hours of the night.

The generations of those who raised their families living together in a courtyard and who never stopped fighting.

The generations of comrades who did not yield and compromise when the going got tough but defended the Party, its values ​​and ideals when the whole world around them was being demolished. When everyone was talking about the “end of History”, those generations of comrades found the strength to continue writing history. And they did write History.

They fought for social justice, for the unity of our people for our country’s independence and freedom – without hesitating, without seeking posts, positions or any self-promotion; without bowing their heads out of fear or interest, as all true members of AKEL should do. They delivered to the next generation a politically and organizationally strong Party.

If one reviews the 90-year history of AKEL one can easily see that we never put petty-party interest over the common good of the country. When we were discussing how we could liberate our homeland from British colonialism, our Party reached out his hand to all forces to discuss how we should wage the anti-colonial struggle united. Unfortunately due to it’s the narrow-minded and fainthearted petty-sectional approaches, the Right did not permit this unity to be forged. Later on, when our militants and members were being murdered in cold blood by the hooded men of Grivas we did not seek any retaliation in blood by following the policy of “an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth”. AKEL consciously chose not to plunge Cyprus in the throes of civil war.

Not a few times other forces and circles put the lust for power over and above the good of the country, even in our country’s recent history. Things for Cyprus would be very different had the governing DISY party and the other political forces taken a different stand during the Christofias administration. In any case, our own vision for Cyprus goes much further than the next election or whatever.

We envision one Cyprus, the common homeland, common home of Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins, resulting in a solution based on the agreed framework; a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation that would liberate us from the occupation and from the interventions in our internal affairs; a solution that isolates any fascist and chauvinist elements, not allowing them to undermine it. The transformation of the Republic of Cyprus must lead to a united state on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation; to a state with a single and indivisible sovereignty, a single citizenship and a single international personality, with political equality, without any guarantees and rights of intervention, with human rights and fundamental freedoms guaranteed for all.

Defying the political cost we supported the negotiation process from the very beginning. We did so because we know very well that this is the only way to keep the prospect of a solution open. We did not give a blank check and a free hand to President Anastasiades. On the contrary, we exerted criticism where we felt we had to. I said it several times and I will repeat the following. For AKEL, the solution of the Cyprus problem means concluding an honorable compromise with our Turkish Cypriot compatriots – not a compromise with the occupation or any third party.

I must also reiterate that no one should consider AKEL as given. We are the Party that has the most comprehensive positions on the Cyprus problem. AKEL pursues a policy that has been vindicated by developments themselves as correct. This is the policy that will guide us and nothing else.

It is a fact that the policy followed by Mr. Anastasiades before the start of the negotiations led developments to a stagnation and regression. Back then, Mr. Anastasiades followed the tactics of those who today are propagating the idea of a supposed collusion between DISY and AKEL. The result of their tactics was for the Turkish vessel “Barbaros” to “wander” south of Cyprus. The result was also the worst Report submitted on the Cyprus problem prepared by the UN Secretary General. The downhill path stopped when Mr. Anastasiades finally decided to change course, abandon their advice and put forth the Christofias- Talat convergences.

It is to say the least grotesque to refer to a supposed collusion between DISY and AKEL. AKEL is accused of colluding with DISY by those very forces who with their own vote or stand elected Nikos Anastasiades to the post of President of the Republic; by those that supported him on most of the important issues on the economy. AKEL is accused of colluding with DISY party at the same time as our Party has not changed, nor one dot of its long-standing positions; positions that it expressed also during the D. Christofias governance. The same positions we projected then, we also project now, despite the attack that we came under. We have withstood and endured these attacks, assuming all the political cost. We will not shift from these positions now, indeed at a time when our positions are being vindicated by developments themselves, just not to be accused of supposedly conspiring with DISY.

Our people have had enough of empty words and slogans for so many years. It is thirsty for the truth. We are proud that all these years we dared tell the truth to the people, even though this may have cost AKEL.

AKEL was courageous enough to talk not only about the expansionist designs and crimes committed by Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot nationalists, but also about the crimes committed by the Greek Cypriot nationalists against the Turkish Cypriots; about the pre-election games that damaged the cause of Cyprus, just so that certain circles and forces would not lose power; about the need of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to cut the umbilical cord of the so-called “mother countries” and live in fraternity and friendship in our common homeland.

We will continue to convey this truth because we have had enough of people who hold our fate in their hands and pursuing two contradictory policies and tactics. On the one hand they talk about an honorable compromise and on the other they issue statements for internal consumption. On the one hand they lay wreaths and pay tribute to all those who brought destruction on our people, while on the other they say they want to cultivate a culture of reunification.

We also told the truth about the main perpetrators of the Cyprus economy scandal; about the responsibilities of the banks boards; about the erroneous supervision exerted by the then Governor of the Central Bank; about the scandalous cover and support provided by all those political parties and a section of the mass media. Now, gradually everyone is beginning to understand about all the criminal mistakes committed by the banks.

They viciously targeted us because we told the truth; especially now that the election campaign has started they have again begun to repeat the same. “Others brought the Troika. We got rid of it”, the President of DISY is saying.

They forget that back then they were calling the Troika “partners”.

He forgets that he called those who burdened Cyprus with debts of billions of Euros and led it to the Troika “the best bankers in the world.”

He forgets that for years he had assumed the role of the political representative of the EU’s ruling circles and the Governor of the Central Bank Mr. Orphanides.

He forgets that he provided cover for them, together with DIKO President Mr. Nicholas Papadopoulos; that together they were attacking AKEL because it insisted on stating that the problem of the Cyprus economy were the banks and not the social policy and benefits granted to the poor by the Christofias government.

They are celebrating that Cyprus has exited the Memorandum. Why are they celebrating? The monitoring and supervision will continue for many more years to come, and austerity policies and cuts in particular will not change. Worse still is the fact that they pretend that they do not see the social costs of the Memorandum and what it leaves behind: the rich have become richer and the poor poorer. It has led to insecurity, poverty and unemployment. Every night they organize their own fiesta on the main television news, pretending that all is well and everything is progressing fine.

If we are doing well, if the “kick-start”, recovery and growth of the economy has begun why are they slashing and cutting wages and benefits of the disadvantaged to produce fiscal cushions?

Why are they dismantling the welfare state?

Why are they insisting on selling off profitable public organizations?

If we are doing well then why don’t they return to pensioners what they have taken away?

Will they return the € 300 million, which they have cut from the health sector over the last three years?

Not only are they not moved by all this but they also insult the intelligence of the people with statements such as the ones made by the Finance Minister who claimed that there isn’t so much work in hospitals. It seems he has never set foot in a public hospital.

If therefore the economy is progressing as they claim, will they turn even now to see the people and tackle their problems?

Will they seek to provide solutions to them?

The answer is no. The President of DISY told us so quite openly when he said “there will always be more expensive homes, more expensive cars and more expensive medicines.” That simple… That is to say, those who have money will have an appropriate home, car and medicine. The others who do not have this luxury are unfortunately unlucky. This is their logic.

Nurses are mobilizing and protesting. What is the government’s and DISY’s response? “If they don’t like their job, they should find another job”. This is the advice given to them by the President of DISY. He himself during the Christofias government was acting playing games in front of television cameras by shedding crocodile tears about working people. I do not think there has ever been another government that has deceived the people so much before elections. He ended up making the verb “pledge” into a synonym for “mislead”. I do not think there has been another government that has discredited workers and their work so much as the Government of Anastasiades and DISY.

The indignation, rage and anger at all of this cannot by itself change anything. Even worse, abstention by those who can change things, by those who can make a difference, will harden the arrogance of the Anastasiades-DISY Government.

If Bills that will affect our lives were passed by Parliament by just a single vote, we can understand how important the upcoming Parliamentary Elections are; how important it is to strengthen AKEL and prove again to everyone that it is a militant, popular and pioneering force and that nothing can stand against it!

We will wage a tough struggle, but we can win it!

We can take AKEL even higher – where it deserves to be!

On 22nd May together will make the difference!