AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Stefanos Stefanou reply to DISY President’s speech on European elections

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 3 March 2019, Nicosia

With all that DISY President Averof Neophytou said yesterday before his party’s Supreme Council, he simply confirmed that the DISY leadership – and the government and ruling forces in general – are living in their own different world that has absolutely nothing to do with the repugnant reality which a large section of our society is faced with.

A. Neophytou spoke about the middle class, but he refrained from saying that the middle class has been diminished as a result of the anti-social austerity policies and the policies serving the big private interests that are being implemented by the government and ruling forces.

A. Neophytou avoided talking about the enormous income inequalities caused by the government policies. He avoided talking about the socio-economic and job insecurity that citizens are suffering, as well as about the risk of poverty 1/3 of the population is facing. In the world of the leadership of DISY, these are all unknown.

A. Neophytou also avoided talking about the democratic and social deficits that are increasing in the European Union because of the policies being implemented in the Union by the Right; policies which DISY declares its devotion and dogmatic loyalty to.

A. Neophytou avoided commenting on the fact that it is precisely these deficits and policies that are dominant in Europe, which the ultra-right feeds on. The Right in Europe, just like DISY in Cyprus too, confine themselves to expressing concerns about the growth of the ultra-right, but at the same time they close their eyes to the far-right and in many cases co-operate with it. At the same time, the Right and DISY are stubbornly refusing to change the policies that breed the ultra-right and fascism.

The European elections are an excellent opportunity for our people to strengthen the voice which with consistency is struggling for a solution of the Cyprus problem and reunification; the voice which with consistency is resisting neo-liberal anti-social policies, resisting the ultra-right and fascism and defending the rights of workers and the people. And this voice is the voice of AKEL – Left – New Forces.