No excuse for DIKO and EDEK to support the “Grivas Museum”

Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Giorgos Koukoumas

2 November 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

There is absolutely no excuse for the Democratic Party DIKO and social democratic EDEK to support the establishment of the “Grivas Museum” and financial assistance to the Grivas Foundation. The DISY government, with extreme-right ELAM on its side, has been trying for two years now to get the approval of Parliament for the “Grivas Museum”. It eventually managed to do the day before yesterday due to the decision of DIKO and EDEK in the Parliamentary Finance Committee to change their position and with Democratic Front DIPA party choosing not to take a position on the matter.

• We recall that in December 2021, due to an AKEL amendment that was tabled which was supported by DIKO, EDEK, DIPA and the Ecologists, the funds for the purchase and renovation of the house belonging to Azinas so that it would be turned into a “Grivas Museum” were deleted from the State Budget.
• In June 2022, during the discussion of the Supplementary Budget, the government attempted to trick the Parliament by changing the title of the appropriation for the “Grivas Museum” to “Museum for the contribution of Chloraka to the Struggles of Cyprus”. However, the government’s trickery was spotted by AKEL and with an amendment supported by DIKO, EDEK, DIPA and the Ecologists, the budget was frozen, blocking the ‘Grivas Museum’ again.
• The government came back last Monday asking the Finance Committee to release the same funds. AKEL reacted strongly and pointed out to everyone that this was about the ‘Grivas Museum’, something that the representatives of the Ministry of Finance were forced to admit. Therefore, MP’s of DIKO and EDEK knew what they were voting for and it is no coincidence that without even giving an explanation, they decided to change their position and vote for the creation of the ‘Grivas Museum’.

Why aren’t DIKO and EDEK now reacting and opposing the government’s tricks and the funds for Grivas?

What has changed since last June and they decided to give their approval?

The only thing that has changed is the decision of their leaderships to support the presidential candidacy of DISY member Nikos Christodoulides.

The Cypriot people deserve to know why the two parties, acting against their own history, are collaborating with the ruling DISY party in the falsification of the historical truth. Every democrat in the country is outraged by the fact that the DISY government has allocated over 160 thousand euros in the last five years for the memory of Grivas (reply of the Minister of Education, dated 20 March 2022, in reply to a parliamentary question submitted by AKEL).

The provocation to the Cypriot people, to history and Democracy is unthinkable!