We are talking about different people living in another world – Article by Giorgos Koukoumas, AKEL C.C. member and MP

 

 

29 December 2022, “Haravgi” newspaper

Of all that could be said about what has happened in the country over the last decade, there is one statistical figure that is the most representative and revealing. Over the last 10 years, working people’s wages as a percentage of the country’s GDP have fallen by 5%, while business profits have risen by 7%.

These percentages amount to billions of euros, revealing a huge shift of wealth over the last decade from the middle and lower strata of society to the upper strata. While the government is celebrating growth rates of 5%, half of the country’s workers are paid less than 1,500 euros and a quarter below 1,000 euros, confirming that despite all the talk, not everyone is the same, one rule for the rich and another for all the rest…

While we ourselves hear about rents, meagre wages and shamefully low pensions, DISY and the government insist that the country is doing extremely well. “It is doing better than ever”, the DISY President told us.

Someone will say that we cannot both be right. And yet. We are both right. Because we are talking and asking different people.

• If you ask the President’s son-in-law, for example, he will tell you that the construction industry is “booming”. But if you ask a construction worker, he’ll tell you about wages that have fallen below 2013 levels, about mega-contractors who are violating collective bargaining agreements they have signed, even those who take on public works projects.
• If you ask the DISY full-tine party officials who joined the Presidential Palace as assistants while the government subsequently waged a battle to get them permanent job status through the back door in the public sector, they will tell you that they consider labour relations in our country to be excellent. However, if you ask the thousands of civil service workers who work under a purchase of services regime – rather than a permanent, full-time job – you will hear what it means to not have money to put fuel in the car to get to work.
• If you ask a banker, he will tell you that he is extremely happy that DISY has closed down the Cyprus Co-operative Bank. If you ask the CEO of the Bank of Cyprus, who is paid EUR 745,000 a year, he will repeat that he does not understand why there is a need for a moratorium on foreclosures. But if you ask any citizen, he/she will tell you about the banks that charge you for the air you breathe as soon as you walk into the branch of a bank, about the risk of being evicted from your home because of illegal over-indebtedness, and on top of that the government has legislated so that this arbitrary behaviour of the banks will remain unchecked forever.

The positive aspect of this year’s budget of the DISY Government is that it could be the last one.

The facts speak for themselves.

On the one hand, Andreas Mavroyiannis has the Left and personalities from all over the democratic and progressive spectrum on his side.

On the other hand, we have two DISY presidential candidates fighting over who is most dedicated to DISY seeking to win the votes of DISY voters.

However, the presidential elections are not being held to resolve their personal – yes, personal, since politically they do not have, and have never told us, any differences – between Averof Neophytou and Nikos Christodoulides, or are these elections taking place to resolve the power struggle within the internal affairs of the right-wing. Elections are held to choose which course we want for the country, for the people.