AKEL on International Day of Cooperatives
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 4th July 2016, Nicosia
On the occasion of the International Day of Cooperatives, which is celebrated every year on the first Saturday of July, the International Co-operative Alliance states that Cooperatives combat poverty and hunger as they give people the opportunity to create their own economic opportunities, converting the individual into a collective danger.
Unfortunately these values are diminishing in Cyprus. The depreciation and denigration of the Cooperative Movement is being targeted, especially lately.
The Cooperative movement was a key driving force of growth and prosperity of society and the economy in combating poverty and loan sharks. Any attempt to alter this philosophy is an attempt that is directed against Cooperative principles.
AKEL has always been a staunch advocate and supporter of the cooperative idea and values. We have supported the Cooperative movement, aiming at the protection of farmers, small and middle businesses, the economically vulnerable, but also for the improvement of the country’s growth prospects. AKEL will continue to defend and serve this position in the future as well.
Today however I shall make a particular reference to the commercial companies of Cooperatives, which are threatened with contraction and alienation to the private sector.
Our position is that the cooperative commercial sector must remain in cooperative hands.
This is what we also conveyed to the President of the Republic, but also in meetings we had with the Minister of Finance and the Management of the Central Cooperative Bank. We also submitted our thoughts and proposals on how this goal could be achieved.
We believe that the share held by members of Cooperatives, the Cooperative Central Bank, but also the existing possibilities of the commercial companies themselves could have been be used in this direction. At the same time we need to ensure that commercial companies will remain active and sustainable in the future. Such a framework could safeguard the cooperative nature of commercial companies and simultaneously strengthen the role of Cooperative members which is limited compared with the past.
We sent a relative letter to the President of the Republic on June 15th without receiving any reply so far. Unfortunately the Government so far hasn’t made any substantial effort whatsoever. Instead there is a significant delay, thus creating a fertile ground for the final selling off of the profitable commercial companies to private interests.
Once again we urge the Government to immediately undertake an initiative, taking into account the already expressed willingness on the part of the cooperative commercial companies for a lasting settlement of the matter.
The cooperative economy can and must be a pillar of growth for the economy. For this reason, the organized state and Government have a duty to support it. As far as AKEL is concerned, we are ready to work with all our strength in this direction. We urge all the other parties to declare their own position on the issue.
