DISY-government’s privatisation plans will face AKEL’s and people’s dynamic reaction

Statement of Georgos Loucaides, AKEL C.C. Spokesperson

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 18th November 2015, Nicosia

The leadership and DISY party government is continuing its relentless efforts to deliver the hundreds of millions of Euros of profits generated by  the Semi-governmental organisation Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (Cyta) to big private interests and create oligopolistic conditions in the telecommunications sector.

However these huge profits, which the government and ruling forces will squeeze from citizens to channel them to big private interests, will not be enough for the ruthless private investors, nor will the additional profits from increased charges which consumers will be forced to pay permanently be enough as a result of the cartel that will be established.

That is why the government makes sure early on to exempt them from the responsibility of also paying the salary of tens of millions of Euros for Cyta’s personnel, which undoubtedly will be shifted annually on taxpayer’s shoulders.

In line with their neoliberal absurdity and dogmatism, not only have the government and leadership of the DISY Rally party not forgotten their well-known aphorisms about a “wasteful” and “overstaffed” state, but they have no inhibitions in loading the state payroll on the thousands of employees of the Semi-governmental organizations and consequently on taxpayer’s shoulders.

This scheming is being promoted without any real need but solely to be able to further maximize the profits of private investors to whom the government and ruling forces will deliver our country’s public wealth and assets.

Nonetheless even if there is a need for some job recruitments, we once again pose the following question to the Minister of Finance and government: why not hire fellow citizens from the long list of the unemployed, while simultaneously leaving workers in Semi-governmental organizations in their jobs, as is their own strong desire?

Furthermore, to the extent there is a possibility of spending tens of millions of Euros a year on employees the state doesn’t need, we ask the government why doesn’t it spend these funds to boost growth and development and to offer support to the vulnerable groups of the population suffering from their Memoranda policies?

It’s now clearer than ever that the best way to safeguard the rights and interests of citizens, consumers, taxpayers, working people and the economy in general is through maintaining the public character of the profitable Semi-governmental organizations and promoting their further modernization.

AKEL, on its part, will not allow the fulfillment of the government’s plans to surrender our national wealth and assets to big private interests. DISY party and the government should know that they will face the dynamic reaction of AKEL, both inside and outside the House of Representatives, as they will continue to encounter the reaction of the vast majority of citizens.